Carey Peña Reports: Recent Episodes
Inspired Media 360
Christina Ivanhoe is like a Marie Kondo of wellness. The popular Scottsdale practitioner knows first-hand that what’s happening with your body is often a symptom of what’s happening with your soul. It’s something she learned the hard way after her own heartbreaking childhood caught up with her.
Fueled by faith and guided by science, Ivanhoe now guides others, helping to release stress, rewire trauma, and heal the body, mind, and soul. Her keys to unlocking wellness including the first five things to say the moment you wake up.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qjQxZ3xosWE
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Jennifer Gage didn’t plan on becoming an entrepreneur and community advocate. It was truly born from necessity. When her daughter was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, the programs she needed didn’t exist in Arizona. So she built them and brought GiGi’s Playhouse to Phoenix for her family and hundreds of others.
Her children now grown, Jennifer has found herself on yet another unexpected journey as a wellness entrepreneur and owner of StretchLab.
She joins Carey Pena for an empowering conversation on overcoming obstacles, lifelong learning and the power of never underestimating yourself.
On this heartfelt episode of The Next Chapter, host Carey Peña sits down with longtime friend and former 3TV colleague Suzanne Bissett for a powerful conversation about friendship, resilience, and the courage it takes to start again.
Suzanne opens up about her deeply personal journey through breast cancer, her emotional decision to step away from local television, and what it takes to rediscover creativity and purpose through life’s pivots.
You can watch this episode on YouTube by clicking this link!
James Kelleher’s next chapter is all about expansion—personally and professionally. In this inspiring conversation on The Next Chapter, Carey Peña talks with James about his transition from therapist and life coach to media personality, podcast host, and advocate for mental health awareness. He shares the most significant lessons from his journey, how to break free from limiting beliefs, and why taking risks is essential for true personal growth.
You can watch this episode on YouTube by clicking this link!
Niki Woehler is a highly sought-after artist. A talent she didn’t discover until she was halfway through a well-established, more stable marketing career.
Her next chapter began when she learned how to shift her mindset and push past her fears. She's not here to just tell you about it, she’s here to tell you how to do it!
It’s been said, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Entrepreneur, writer, and digital creator Matt Gottesman has a slightly different take. He says there are two types of work, both of which are hard. Hard work for what you're connected to and hard work for what you are not connected to. Something he discovered after his first career cratered, forcing him to start over from scratch.
This time, instead of following the beaten path, Matt followed his intuition, finding a lucrative and fulfilling new chapter. In a motivational conversation, he shares his steps to overcoming setbacks, growing resiliency, and trusting your intuition.
In this powerful conversation, Chef Will Wagner describes how a career he loved turned to a source of dangerous isolation and emotional burnout. What started with stress eating grew to weight gain, shame and eventually thoughts of ending his life. Then a fateful Instagram ad stopped him from making a devastating decision. The surprising source of inspiration he found to put himself back together and start his next chapter.
Gellyahnah Aakhen knows about starting over. At 35 years old, she had a successful career and beautiful family. Then it all unraveled.
Newly divorced and a single mom, Gellyahnah realized the life she built wasn’t the one she wanted and embarked on an inspirational journey of awakening and identity.
Now a TikTok sensation with a 4,000 client waiting list Gellyahnah shares how she found her soul’s purpose and followed her calling to a fulfilling and lucrative new career helping others.
Tune into "The Next Chapter" with Carey Pena for an inspiring conversation with Cliff Danley, whose life story is a testament to the power of faith and recovery. Cliff shares his very personal journey from addiction to a Christ-centered recovery and how faith shaped his mission.
Cliff is now the Senior Scholarship Administrator at Grace Sober Living and works with the Steele Family Foundation to help thousands of people transform their lives. This episode offers a powerful message of hope and resilience as Cliff explains the road he traveled to a place of healing and peace.
Abused, sexually assaulted, addicted to crack, and living on the streets. Dr. Brenda Combs spent a decade tormented by her demons until a probation officer taught her a life-altering lesson.
Now a PhD and best-selling author, Dr. Combs returns to The Next Chapter Podcast with hard-fought insight about love, forgiveness, and the unavoidable truth about reclaiming your power.
You can do everything right, but sometimes something can still go wrong. Amy Herring is living proof. A happy child with loving, present parents and a good home who graduated from college. Yet she still became a couch-surfing meth and heroin addict.
From her tipping point to her turning point, Amy offers a unique perspective on self-esteem and accountability that's brought her to a potentially ground-breaking next chapter.
In this episode of "The Next Chapter with Carey Pena," Nicole Myden shares her profound insights on worthiness and resilience. Having navigated a highly successful PR career and significant personal achievements, Nicole was met with the challenges of divorce and the sudden death of her father. She discusses the emotional journey of grief and feeling unworthy and how she transformed that narrative. Now, she's helping others do the same. Nicole's story is a powerful reminder about self-worth.
In this emotional episode, Carey Pena sits down with celebrity makeup artist Lisa Moore to discuss the profound changes in her life following her mother's mysterious disappearance and subsequent murder. Lisa opens up about the immense challenges she faced, from dealing with public scrutiny to explaining the grim reality to her two children. She also shares her journey towards a life free from addiction and substance abuse. And how her tumultuous relationship with her mother has driven her to dedicate her time to philanthropy and mental health advocacy.
In this episode of "The Next Chapter with Carey Pena," Celebrity Jeweler Myranda Molina shares her powerful story of overcoming adversity through the power of a positive mindset. Growing up with an alcoholic mother and in a family that struggled financially, Myranda refused to let these obstacles define her. Myranda built a life of purpose and success by focusing on what she wanted to achieve rather than what she lacked. She shares her insights on how to view challenges as opportunities rather than falling into a victim mentality.
In this episode of "The Next Chapter with Carey Pena," Actor and Author Colin Egglesfield takes us on a journey through his life’s most challenging and transformative moments. Colin discusses the pivotal role of creativity in his life, the impact of his cancer diagnoses, and the life-altering lessons detailed in his book "Agile Artist: Life Lessons From Hollywood and Beyond."
He highlights the importance of living in the present, taking bold risks, and believing in oneself. Listen to this moving conversation about overcoming adversity, finding one's purpose, and becoming an agile artist in every aspect of life.
Join host Carey Pena on "The Next Chapter" as she sits down with Marjorie Darlington, a remarkable woman who embarked on a new journey in her 70s. After enduring nearly three decades of marriage to a narcissistic spouse with sociopathic tendencies, Marjorie found the strength to break free from the toxic cycle of abuse.
Through her candid storytelling, Marjorie shares the challenges she faced, the pivotal moment that led to her decision to divorce, and the empowering transformation that followed as she embraced a fresh start. Discover how Marjorie's resilience and courage brought her to a place of newfound happiness and fulfillment in her life.
Join us in this captivating interview with Darylle Dennis, a trailblazer born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Darylle's journey is nothing short of inspiring. In this episode, Darylle shares how the concept of "Quantum Leaping" transformed her life, as detailed in her book "Quantum Living: Moving at the Speed of Life."
Through her Value Exchange Dynamics philosophy, Darylle has empowered countless individuals and organizations to achieve unparalleled success. Discover how Darylle's innovative strategies and unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth can help you unlock your full potential and achieve remarkable results. Tune in to learn from the architect of transformative programs that elevate individual potential and drive immediate, effective outcomes!
Following his NFL stint, Clayton sought to reinvent himself on the reality TV show "The Bachelor," where fame and external validation only compounded his inner turmoil. Struggling with the weight of public expectations and relentless criticism, Clayton found himself lost in a cycle of seeking approval from others, losing touch with his true identity in the process.
Now, on a journey of self-discovery and healing, Clayton is rewriting the narrative of masculinity, embracing his vulnerability, and striving to make a positive impact by becoming a mental health advocate. Clayton talks with Carey Pena about his next chapter-- and his path to authenticity.
Join host Carey Pena on "The Next Chapter" as she sits down with guest Tammy Fellows, a former magazine Publisher who found herself feeling lost in the midst of her successful career. Tammy shares her personal journey of rediscovery and purpose after experiencing memory loss that left her questioning her own mental health. Tammy's decision to explore meditation as a solution marked the beginning of a profound transformation.
Listeners are invited into Tammy's world as a wife, mother of four boys, and a busy business owner navigating the complexities of modern life. As she delves into her experience with meditation, Tammy reveals how a simple 10-minute daily practice unlocked a spiritual awakening, leading her to embark on a journey of self-discovery and service to others.
Tammy shares the evolution of "Tammy Tuesday" and the pivotal role it played in her quest to find her true calling - guiding others to reconnect with their hearts, embrace love, and live purposeful, joy-filled lives. Join us for an inspiring conversation that may just spark your own journey of transformation and fulfillment.
Welcome to "The Next Chapter with Carey Pena" podcast featuring the inspiring journey of Risa Kostis. In this episode, Risa courageously shares her story of resilience and self-discovery after a life-altering car accident left her face disfigured and her dreams of singing and performing shattered. Through years of challenging reconstructive surgeries, Risa battled depression and lost her inner light.
However, with the unwavering support of friends, she embarked on a transformative healing journey. Determined to reclaim her self-worth and not let adversity dim her spirit, Risa emerged stronger, embracing herself from the inside out. Today, she thrives as a professional stylist, defining success on her terms and living her best life. Join us as Risa's story inspires us to overcome obstacles and find beauty in resilience.
Relentlessly bullied as a child, Jerame Mudick started working out to protect himself. It worked. It also started him on a lifelong journey of self-discovery.
He started Re|Connect, a popular holistic fitness and healing center in Arizona. From lifting weights to lifting spirits, Jerame’s superpower is uplifting others and helping them unlock their full potential.
In this episode, Jerame talks about the most impactful lessons he’s learned and the top three things you can start with, including skillfully using your breath.
"My addiction really started when I broke my back." Former Flight attendant Carey Gerst recalls the day the international flight she was working on hit an air pocket. This injury led to years of addiction to pain pills and then other drugs and alcohol.
For the first time, Carey opens up about doctor shopping and how one doctor sexually abused her in his office. Her next chapter is all about empowerment. She's now clean and sober and has a thriving career as an artist, art healer, and entrepreneur.
Addiction landed them both in jail, and that's where Bex Cox and Ashley Walton first met. Now, they are on a miraculous journey of healing and helping others. The two talk to Carey Pena about how their friendship and focus on health played a key role in their sobriety and the new chapter in their lives that exceeds what they thought possible.
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Ever just lost it? Been so triggered by someone or something that all self-control flew out the window? Suddenly relationship-wrecking words are flying out of your mouth and you’re not sure why?
Speaker, Author, and Life Coach Todd Kane has.
Todd's Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PogiUHjXvV0&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
After 30 years in the military, he became a successful hairstylist and built a wildly popular salon. One day a client set him off and he snapped.
Determined to improve his reactions, relationships, and integrity he took a deep personal dive and started his next chapter by creating FIND. An acronym for Feel. Interrogate. Navigate. Do.
It's changed his life and he explains how it can change yours too in an enlightening new “Next Chapter” Podcast with Carey Pena.
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/epmzRBqIHiM
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"I’ve learned that grief is just love you can’t give."
Adam Allison is a successful Chef and Restauranteur. When the love of his life was diagnosed with lung cancer, he became her caretaker until she lost her courageous battle. Allison discusses how he battled depression and grief through therapy, community, and cooking.
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After years of alcoholism, Doug Dolan talks about how he finally got sober and cleaned up the "spiritual clutter" from his life. He is now the Co-Founder of Recovery In The Pines, a treatment center in Prescott, Arizona, where they teach people how to make a psychic change and renew mind and body.
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Ben Lytle built two Fortune 500 companies. He could have retired in his 50's. Instead, he keeps writing new chapters. Lytle talks to Carey Pena about his new book, which outlines what he believes will happen over the next 30 years. How not to fear it, but how to navigate with success.
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Albert Black, Founder of Recovery In The Pines in Prescott, Arizona, talks about his 11 years of sobriety and his mission to change the treatment industry.
Black discloses how he finally got sorbet after nearly destroying his family and career.
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Dr. Art Mollen has practiced medicine for over 50 years, published an array of books, and appeared on major television and radio networks all over the nation. Now he's exploring his next chapter in life post-retirement, whilst still helping the masses.
Dr. Art just launched a podcast sponsored by our Inspired Media 360 studios, "Hope You're Feeling Good!" He’s seen the face of medicine go through a complete metamorphosis right before his own eyes and now he’s here to answer YOUR questions, as well as educate you with the latest breakthroughs in medicine!
Head on over to SpeakPipe.com/AskDrArtMollen to record a voicemail to be featured on the show, or email AskDrArtMollen@gmail.com to have your question read aloud and answered!
Hope You're Feeling Good
Hope You're Feeling Good [SPOTIFY]
Hope You're Feeling Good [APPLE]
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A moment of laughter on a suicidal night saved Ron Blake's life. Now he shares the story with us and dives deeper into his next chapter in life. Ron has a symbolic goal to be a guest on The Late Show and strives to deliver a massive story of hope and support.
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Mike Spangenberg is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Arizona powerhouse brand StateFortyEight. Throughout the years, Mike and his team have not only made their clothing company a household name but are now helping build and define a positive culture in Arizona by stepping into many other ventures in the community.
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Tyler Tisdale is the Founder and CEO of Pinnacle Peak Recovery. He is dedicated to being a helping hand from addiction to recovery. Tyler has been in recovery since 2012 and now in his next chapter he shares his story of courage and determination with all of us.
At Pinnacle Peak Recovery, their main focus is providing clinical excellence. To do this, they invest heavily into their clinical team and program. Their clinical team focuses on taking a ‘whole person’ approach by encompassing the body, mind and spirit. The culture at Pinnacle Peak has a family feel and it’s palpable. Since opening, Tyler and Pinnacle Peak Recovery have helped upwards of a thousand family’s find a solution to deal with trauma, mental health, and addiction.
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Dr. Brenda Combs is a symbol of inspiration and perseverance to all who meet her. Only fifteen years ago, she was a homeless crack addict, a petty criminal, a gaunt and hopeless wreck who had been shot, beaten and raped during the endless years when she lived under a bridge in the worst part of Phoenix. It took hitting rock bottom for Combs to find the strength to turn her life around, on a blistering summer day.
Dr. Brenda Combs published her first book, “Finding My Shoes”, in 2014. January 2018 BRC Publishing was established. BRC Publishing offers full-service book publishing including editing, publishing, book mentoring, book cover design, publishing options & MORE! Dr Combs is the best selling author with an extensive background in education. She has national educational publications, international motivational speaker, playwright, actress & community activist. “I want to give new authors the tools & opportunity to write & publish their books!”
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Lisa Moore is a well-known Stylist and Makeup Artist based in Phoenix. In this episode, she talks publicly for the first time about her mother's cold case and what happened after she appeared on television to plead for the public's help. She never expected social media comments to turn against her.
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How this Phoenix man changed the course of his life.
Check out the new podcast "Redemption with Frantz Beasley" on all podcast platforms TODAY!
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Television producer Kristine Harrington spent a year following the Principal and Teachers from a Phoenix school in the Cartright School District. She was given all access.
She talks with Carey Pena about the new documentary, “Empty Seats Full Hearts”, produced by AZFamily, that shares the emotional journey and insights into what was learned. How do we move forward and address education inequities, food scarcity, the digital divide, and real trauma, depression, and anxiety post-pandemic?
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For nearly half a century Todd Kane played a complex and exhausting game of HIDE & SEEK with his truth. Despite hiding his sexuality in relationships and insecurities in achievements, that truth never lost its power, only voice.
As a result, fear greatly influenced his choices leading him to hide his gifts and talents, abandon his faith, and choose a smaller existence. A choice many make in these uncertain and challenging times. We struggle with fear and uncertainty and develop adaptive skills for protection that ultimately end up doing us harm - compromising our integrity, silencing our voices, and eroding our truth.
Come along with Todd into our hiding places to find truths, heal wounds, and expose fear for the fraud that it is. What will you find?
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Niki Woehler, a rising star in the art world, talks with Carey Pena about her major life transformation and leaving a safe, lucrative job in advertising to pursue her passion. A single mother of three, Niki opens up about the hardships she's faced and hard-won victories.
At the end of 2020, she opened a modern art studio in Old Town, Scottsdale. Now she's getting national attention for her cutting-edge approach and a rig she uses to fly over her paintings.
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We expect inspiration in sunsets, blooming flowers, and mountain-top views. And in turn, we’ve come to not expect it elsewhere: in the tragic or mundane. Carey Pena speaks with the authors of the book, Finding Light In Unexpected Places. Maria Jerinic and Erik Pihel examine whether we are spending enough time reflecting on the positive, versus anticipating the negative. In the book, 14 Authors share their experiences about how to find light in unexpected places. "In a disaster, on a dreary morning commute. In squawking gulls, aging bodies, and seeing the way a friend signs his name. Wherever you are, whatever thoughts might be racing through your mind, light is available. It might be just around the corner." Link to Finding Light In Unexpected Places:
https://amzn.to/2ldAD23
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Brandon Lee, Anchor for CBS News in Phoenix, Arizona, opens up about his ongoing battle for sobriety and how the pandemic has tested him to his core. September is National Recovery Month, and for all those who are suffering, or trying to get their lives on track, Brandon talks about the dark places he has been, and what helped him make it through.
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Managing weight can be difficult — especially while coping with stressful and emotional times in our life like this pandemic.
On this special episode of Carey Pena Reports, the doctors of Red Mountain Weight Loss sit down with Carey Pena to discuss REAL facts, REAL truths & REAL things you can do to take control of your health.
- What to do instead of emotional & stress eating
- Tips for better self-control
- How to create a plan for special events so that you don’t lose sight of your goals
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Jane Turner, who grew up in the segregated south, talks with Carey Pena about how we find hope in times of tragedy.
Jane joined us in-studio along with David Adame, President and CEO of Chicanos Por La Causa, for a special edition of our podcast, Carey Pena Reports.
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Tax Advisor and Financial Expert Josh Hayes from Edie Bailly talks about how small business owners can still try to get help, and if you get government money, what steps you need to take.
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In this 10 minute interview, The Founder of AcuHealth, Robert Koagedal, talks about how to reduce stress. He covers the following:
(1) Relaxation is a skill
(2) Fear and immune function
(3) Practical tools for reducing stress in the current climate.
Also, he shows us the 4 7 8 breathe method.
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Carey Pena interviews Dr. Dan Rubin from Naturopathic Specialists about how to take care of our lung health and increase lung capacity, as well as which supplements we need to take right now.
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"Be aware that you may be experiencing the precursor to trauma", says Dr. Stacey Smith. During this interview, we talk to Dr. Smith about how people can manage the stress of the current crisis, and red flags to watch out for.
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Dr. Terry Simpson spent time dealing with the most dangerous viruses on Earth. He has a warning for the public about COVID-19.
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Credit expert and Mortgage Lender, Alisa Glutz, joins the show to talk about the COVID-19 crisis. She talks about:
- Stimulus checks coming out
- Banks willingness to work with you
- How to handle creditors
- The housing market overview
More information about Alisa Glutz:
https://colormycredit.com/
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Floyd Godfrey, Executive Director of Families Strategies Counseling Center talks about the following on our show:
- Isolation is the lifeblood of addiction. Quarantines only magnify an addict's tendency to withdraw, relapse.
- Keep your routines as normal as possible (e.g., get ready for the day, outline activities).
- Anyone in therapy should continue via phone/online. Don’t let the pandemic disrupt your services
- Listen to your kids about what they might be feeling.
- Learn how to connect more: journaling, phone calls, texting, Skype.
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Sandra Tenuto, who successfully homeschooled her son for two years, shares her best advice.
She speaks with Inspired Media 360 Founder Carey Pena about what parents can do to create structure and keep stress levels down.
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Podcast Producer Nick Tantillo talks to Inspired Media 360 Founder Carey Pena about how podcasting can help you stay connected. Also, how businesses and nonprofits can use podcasting to share stories and keep the lights on.
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World famous Auctioneer & Auctiontainer Letitia Frye talks to Inspired Media 360 Founder Carey Pena about how Nonprofits are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frye is advising them to "pivot not panic" and use this time to reach people online, share stories, and innovate. "There is opportunity in this," she says.
Also, in this 20 minute interview, Frye talks about a new platform, just made public, called Uncommon Giving.
Connect With Letitia Frye:
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"Imagine being a senior, you have no transportation or limited transportation, and you are being told to socially distance yourself from other people." The CEO of FSL, Foundation For Senior Living, talks with Carey Pena about the rush to help thousands of seniors in Arizona and around the country.
After being hit by a car, suffering a traumatic brain injury, and battling for her life, Letitia Frye found that the challenges were only just beginning. She's dealt with poverty, heartbreak, and loss. But today this celebrity Auctiontainer is standing on some of the biggest stages in the country living her best-ever life.
In this interview with Carey Pena, she talks about her new book, No Reserve, and the life lessons that helped her survive and thrive.
Listen to this Podcast Episode Neil Balter, who founded California Closets at the age of 17, is a world famous success story.
But his life and perspective changed when his son was diagnosed with Autism. And then Balter had to face his own cancer diagnosis. He was told that he had 12 months to live.
On this podcast, he talks with Carey Pena about his remarkable transformational journey, how his cancer was cured, and how he walked through pain to find purpose.
Listen to podcast Andrea Robinson was a popular Fox News Morning Anchor. But she felt her life slowly coming unraveled. Then she picked up a journal and began to transform. On this 50 minute episode of Carey Pena Reports, we go inside Andrea's transformational journey. She talks about how she took control of her life, climbed out of debt, and overcame her fear of making some major life changes. Now she's on an entrepreneurial journey that is helping thousands of people.
Listen to podcast Darin and Kara Moss turned to adoption after learning that they weren't able to have more biological children.
“I had to look at things a little different,” Moss explained. “I had to get to the point where I was willing to try something. As I tried and exercised faith in that, it grew. And continued to grow.”
As his faith grew, so did his family. Over the course of 8 years, the couple became foster parents to 25 children.
They ended up adopting 6 of them who currently range in age from 3 to 13 years old. Four are siblings who they adopted so the children would not be broken apart.
Even after becoming foster parents to 25 children, and having endured heartbreaking situations, Darin and Kara Moss still wanted to do more. The two have started a non-profit called A Mighty Change Of Heart.
For now, they are focused on providing personalized duffle bags for foster children in Arizona. Each child’s name is embroidered on the bag and it's filled with brand new clothes, toys, books and at least two sets of pajamas. In one month alone, they distributed 350 bags to 25 group homes.
Carey Pena sits down with Moss to talk about the inspiring story and how becoming a foster parent changed his life.
“A nurse heard me crying and she came over and asked me if I still believed in God. And I said no I don’t. And she said, that’s okay because God still believes in you.”
TV News Anchor Brandon Lee talks about the moment his life was transformed. He is the survivor of sex abuse. For a long time he was living a double life as an addict. TV viewers had no idea that he was spiraling out of control trying to keep all of these dark secrets.
He talks to his former TV Co-Anchor, Carey Peña, about finally sharing his truth in the new best selling book, “Mascara Boy. Bullied, Assaulted & Near Death: Surviving Trauma & Addiction.”
The post TV News Anchor Comes Clean About Overcoming Sex Abuse and Addiction appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Listen to podcast Camelback Mountain in Phoenix is a double black diamond, which means it's a tough mountain to climb. But that didn't stop volunteers from Daring Adventures from making a wish come true for Doug Clough, who is living with ALS.
Clough was asked what he would do if he could walk again and he said he'd climb Camelback to the spot where he proposed to his wife 22 years ago. His wish came true and he shares the emotional story with Carey Pena.
She hired a private detective online and took a leap of faith to find her biological family.
"Within 24 hours I received all of the information on my biological family on my mother's side," Darlene Keller-Price explains.
From there, her story took several remarkable twists and turns.
Keller-Price ended up locating siblings on both sides of her biological family through ancestry.com and 23andme.com - and all of them were open to connecting with her.
First she met her biological mother's side of the family in Boston. Then she connected with her sister, Val, on her biological father's side. Later a brother from her father's side would also make contact.
Keller-Price said she was amazed by the instant connections. "It's nature vs nurture. They are finding out so much more with DNA. Even with my sister in Boston, we had similarities. We were saying the same phrases."
This has been an emotional process since the first time Keller-Price searched ancestry.com and 23andme.com, but she feels it has all been worth it. She and her two sons have built connections with these former strangers turned family members.
Keller-Price didn't realize that this would be her path. For many years, she didn't feel the need to go searching. Her life was a good one as she was adopted and raised by wonderful parents who she loved very much. But she had more love to give.
"Once I found all of this I realized there was that piece of my heart that wasn't quite fulfilled."
Keller-Price prayed a lot about the journey and taking this leap of faith. "I think if you feel in your heart it is the right thing, whether it's a job, a relationship, whatever it is and you know it's a leap of faith, don't listen to outside influences. Go with your heart."
“I was absolutely terrified, there was nothing I was thinking about other than survival.” College student Cooper Poze shares his emotional cancer journey. And how paying it forward at Camp Sunrise helped him heal. The post A Young Cancer Survivor’s Mission To Pay It Forward appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Vision is everything. How do you create a vision for your life that will allow you to get past fear and doubt? Author and coach Carey Conley talks about how vision helped her get through unthinkable tragedy, the loss of both her husband and son to suicide. The post Where hopes and dreams become action and achievement appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“I’ve been hospitalized over 32 times. Attitude is everything and I don’t take it for granted.”
Danielle Bryant is the founder of the Make It Count 4 Dani Foundation. Her mission is to advocate, educate, encourage, and inspire those living with Rheumatoid Arthritis to MAKE IT COUNT.
In high school, Bryant was a star athlete. Suddenly her health began to deteriorate, and she was experiencing pain all over her body. “My joints would swell, they’d be red. But I had to do what I had to do,” Bryant explains. “I was extremely scared, I didn’t even know how to explain it. I was in the prime of my athletic career.”
Bryant did not want to forfeit her chance to receive a college softball scholarship, so she hid the pain. Then came the drinking. She carried around vodka in her backpack.
When her dreams of playing college sports were dashed, depression took hold. It was a cycle that persisted for many years.
Total life transformation came to her in a dream. Bryant says she woke up and realized that the only person who would be able to fix her life was her.
“I committed to loving myself first. I started to take control and I found that my best medication was going to the gym and building my muscles. I just really concentrated on my health and being healthy again.”
She sought help from Alcoholics Anonymous and was able to quit drinking.
Bryant went on to become a successful businessperson in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the Founder of a boutique construction company called Thrive.
Rheumatoid Arthritis does not go away. It’s an autoimmune disease that travels everywhere in the body. Bryant has extreme joint pain and has had to deal with her organs being compromised. But she’s managing her condition one day at a time.
“My mindset is powerful,” Bryant shares. “I don’t know what it’s like to not have pain because I have lived with it for so long.”
On this 35 minute episode of Transformation Tuesday, Bryant talks to Carey Pena about her journey to health and mission to inspire others to get up and move – no matter what is happening in your life.
Bryant also shares insight on her workout routine and daily diet (she sticks to chicken and fish and stays away from nightshade vegetables and dairy).
With her Foundation, Make It Count 4 Dani, Bryant is able to share her message with a wider audience, many of whom are living with Rheumatoid Arthritis or other debilitating conditions.
“I have received these letters and amazing messages from people and they are searching for their life back. I had a call with a 22 year old young man who was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and was kicked out of the military for it, and I cried on the phone with him.”
Ever since she made the decision to transform her life at age 23, Bryant has not touched alcohol. She is fueled by healthy living and the opportunity to help others.
“Being able to help another human being,” she says, “that is a gift.”
To learn more about Make It Count 4 Dani visit makeitcount4dani.com
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“Endorse the challenge of life and becoming your best self.”
Mycal Anders is a Marine Corps Veteran, Founder of Crossfit PHX, Entrepreneur and Author of the new book “Inner Circle: Focus and Fulfillment Habits of the Enlightened.”
On this 50 minute episode of Transformation Tuesday, Anders talks about how he transformed his own life by learning from the most enlightened people around him.
“I was just in a place where I was in a super negative mindset, everything was happening to me not because of me. I just couldn’t get out of my own way,” Anders explains.
Then he met a man who put him on the path to personal growth and development. Anders explains how he was finally able to get through the no and get to the YES.
“It dug me out of that dark place because I was doing work on myself; because I was taking responsibility for my demons” he says. “How to get the things you want out life has everything to do with how you show up.”
Mycal Anders talks with Carey Pena and Inspired Media 360 about 3 Ways to Find Focus and Fulfillment and how they have manifested in his own life:
(1) Happiness is a choice: Bad things happen to all of us but how long you choose to live in that space is up to you.
(2) Circle of influence matters: There are those who contribute to your well being and there are those that steal from it.
(3) Your struggle is your story: Not everyone has to go on a hero’s journey.
“My life is a manifestation of ever seeking knowledge,” Anders shares.
He actively seeks mentorship and being around those with more wisdom. It has served him well.
Anders’ gym and podcast are thriving, he works as a business consultant for others in the fitness industry, and he is very proud of the release of his book Inner Circle: Focus and Fulfillment Habits of the Enlightened. Not to mention, he has a beautiful family.
“I only got this far because of what I did not know,” Anders shares. “Early on I subscribed to the opportunity to be the dumbest person in the room.”
Listen to Mycal Anders Podcast Feed Me Fuel Me: http://www.feedmefuelme.com/
Mycal Anders book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Circle-Fulfillment-Habits-Enlightened/dp/1950370003/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1553791593&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
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Chris Widener has been named one of the top 50 speakers in the world and one of INC Magazine’s Top 100 leadership speakers. Since 1986, he’s done close to 3,000 speeches.
Widener has written 20 books including a New York Times and a Wall Street Journal best-seller.
In 2019, he launched a Speakers Academy for people who would like to build a speaking business.
We talked to Widener about public speaking, and how everyone can improve their communication skills and be more effective in both business and personal interactions.
Widener learned from some of the most legendary speakers in the business including Zig Zigler and Jim Rohn. When asked about what he learned from each of them he explains the most important thing was to just be himself.
During this 40 minute Transformation Tuesday interview, Widener shares The 3 Key Elements Of Great Communication. He calls them the 3 C’s:
(1) CONSTANT
Widener says, “we are in the most communicative time, but not the most connected. You have to be constant and consistent with your message to break through all of the noise”.
(2) CLEAR
What is clear to you may not be clear to someone else. Focus on the things you want people to remember.
(3) CONCISE
Keep your message concise and to the point.
On a personal note, Widener’s life story and rise to fame is incredible. Growing up, he lived in 28 different homes and went to 11 different schools. He says drugs became part of his life in the 6th grade.
During this interview with Carey Pena, he talks about the transformational moment that changed his life and set him on a path to becoming a world famous Public Speaker and Author. Widener also Co-Hosts The Real Man Podcast with Larry Winget.
Widener is fearless in his pursuit of learning and growth, and he talks about how he has earned and lost millions of dollars. He embraces all of it, just as his mentors, Zig Zigler and Jim Rohn, encouraged him to do.
Chris Widener believes, “We get one shot at life. You don’t get to determine how long you live, but you can determine how well you live.”
Reach out to Chris here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisWidenerSpeaker
Website: http://www.ChrisWidener.com
The post The 3 Key Elements Of Great Communication appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“I figured there was some reason I was saved and I needed to find out what it was.” Published Author, Judy Pearson, survived cancer and went on to build her second act in life by helping women share their own stories of courage on stage. She calls it post-traumatic growth.
:
“No matter the life challenge, there is always treasure in the wreckage”.
Diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer, Pearson feels she was “saved” for a reason.
Three years ago, Pearson created A 2nd Act, the only organization of its kind she says.
Judy Pearson is committed to help other women cancer survivors focus on “what’s next” instead of “why me”.
Through powerful on-stage storytelling performances, women cancer survivors inspire entire audiences to find the treasures in their life’s wreckage. These moving performances showcase women of all ages and cancer types, and is the annual fundraiser for A 2nd Act.
To date, more than 50 stories have been shared on stage, and included in a book providing “light” and inspiration for others when needed.
Pearson goes on to say she believes “the money raised in a city stays in a city”. So it is important to her that A 2nd Act uses the money from these performances to fund the other programs offered by her organization, free of charge.
A 2nd Act holds 4 workshops a year to help guide survivors in discovering their own second act by discovering their own skills and passions. They also host ‘Girls Night Out’ where sister survivors hang out to swap stories and most important, laugh
Pearson says she focuses on only women because she believes women and men heal differently. She feels women offer more authentic workshops and nurturing for each other.
For her second act, Pearson has learned, with the help of her nine year old granddaughter, she can be courageous for not only herself, but also for others.
She feels her “cancer was a gift” because it makes you feel more powerful.
‘Post Traumatic Growth’ does happen after these traumatic experiences says Pearson. She says she “unplugged” from her final chemo treatment a different person. “The old Judy didn’t jump out of the chemo cake.”
And she wants us all to remember, “No matter how dark the days, we all have value and worth….don’t ever sell yourself short”.
Judith Pearson, award-winning author and cancer survivor, is making her 2nd act count.
You can learn more at A2ndact.org
The post A 2nd Act: Sharing Stories Of Courage appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“We all have a voice. Have the confidence to share it. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Sarah Krahenbuhl, Executive Director of Phoenix Suns Charities and the new VP of Social Responsibility, talks about her fearless style of leadership and how she is using her voice, and her platform with the Phoenix Suns, to make change for thousands of children with food allergies. It’s a personal mission for Sarah since her son’s food allergies are life threatening.
Now three years old, her son had his first incident at just eight months when he reacted to peanut butter. Krahenbuhl called 911.
Since then, she has immersed herself into researching food allergies and wants everyone to know how severe, and dangerous, they can be.
Food allergies are not just a “tummy ache” or a “rash” Krahenbuhl remarks.
There are eight top allergens: fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, dairy, eggs, milk, peanuts and tree nuts. All can be life threatening and her son is allergic to almost all of them.
It is reported that over 15 million people have food allergies, and 5.9 million are children under 18. That is roughly 2 children per classroom.
When asked what caused her son’s allergies, Krahenbuhl says she does not have an answer, but she believes through her research, that what we put into our bodies affects our children. It could be from all the antibacterial stuff we use, the baby wipes, the antibiotics given under age of 2 or while pregnant, and so much more.
Her position as VP for Social responsibility means giving back to the community says Krahenbuhl. The Suns have been doing just that since the 60’s.
A self-proclaimed type A personality, Krahenbuhl says she has never been quiet, and is not afraid to lead the charge. She believes the Suns organization promotes social responsibility from the players all the way to the owners,staff and employees, including their resources. They all give back to the “Arizona we love”.
Currently, Phoenix Suns Charities grants about $1.5 million per year to about 115 non-profit organizations that focus on our children and families in need.
And this wonderful organization pulled their team together recently to give back in a big way. Caleb, a young boy fighting a life threatening illness, wanted to meet star player Devin Booker. So the Sun’s owner, Robert Sarver, gave Caleb and his friends his own courtside seats, while all the players, head of player security, and Devin’s own managers worked together to make the night unforgettable.
Krahenbuhl says giving back for the Suns is much more than basketball and money.
They back their employees. The Phoenix Suns Charities has supported Krahenbuhl’s mission by granting funds to the Phoenix Fire Department to help educate First Responders about Epinephrine’s use as a first response. Krahenbuhl believes this will be a life saver since, as she says, “an EpiPen save lives”.
Sarah Krahenbuhl hopes her work, and her platform with the Suns, can continue to help her reach others in her fight against food allergies.
She also hopes her son will one day embrace his challenges and learn to become an advocate for himself, living his life without huge anxieties around eating.
Her message to us is that people can die if food allergies are not taken serious.
Krahenbuhl feels she has to be a voice for her son every day. Right now, she has no choice.
Learn more at SunsCharities.org
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“Thoughts become words. Words become actions. Actions become habits. If we are constantly talking about things that matter, sooner or later, we are going to put some action behind what we are saying.” Phoenix Entrepreneur Drew Shaw is starting a conversation with his new line of socks called Voyce Threads. Shaw talks to Carey about how he launched his brand focused on fashion and making the world better. One sock at a time. The post Socks With Social Impact appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“The answer to life is in service to others.”
These are not just words spoken by Sara O’Meara, Co-Founder of Childhelp, it’s the way she’s spent the past 60 years.
O’Meara and fellow Childhelp Co-Founder, Yvonne Fedderson, founded the organization in 1959.
At the time, they were young Hollywood starlets. By chance they both landed roles on a project that would take them overseas. That assignment would change the course of their lives.
Together they began rescuing so-called “throwaway children” in Japan and VIetnam. “We never dreamed it would be our whole life. We were actresses at the time,“ O’Meara says. . They went on to build 9 orphanages, a hospital and a school in Japan and Vietnam.
The young actresses were quickly recognized as child advocates in the United States and they were personally asked by Nancy Reagan to lead the fight against child abuse here at home.
So they did.
“The Ladies” as they are famously known went on to build the very first residential treatment center for child abuse in our nation and defied all of their naysayers along the way.
“Anytime you try to do anything good, you are going to have the other side that is not always as complimentary, and other people may find fault,” Sara O’Meara explains. “The main ingredient is perseverance. If you know something is the right thing to do you cannot let anyone discourage you.”
Fedderson adds that every step has been guided by faith. “We pray about everything. God is the CEO of our organization … that’s for sure.”
Led by Sara and Yvonne, Childhelp built advocacy centers and group homes for children already affected by child abuse, created prevention programs like Speak Up Be Safe, which they hope to see implemented in schools nationwide, and established a National Child Abuse Hotline where trained professionals answer the phones in over 150 languages. And recently they added text messaging. Children in crisis can text 1-800-4-A-CHILD and receive immediate help.
Now ages 85 and 84 (Yvonne points out she’s younger), The Ladies show no signs of slowing down.
On February 2, 2019, Childhelp officially kicks off its 60th Anniversary year with the “Drive The Dream Gala”, Chaired by international philanthropists Richard and Dr. Stacie Stephenson.
The Gala, which is held in Phoenix, Arizona, draws a celebrity crowd, including longtime Childhelp supporters John Stamos, Kathy Lee Gifford and Cheryl Ladd, among many others.
The Ladies left the world of Hollywood long ago. And while they still enjoy the glitz and glamour that comes with their fundraising Galas and events nationwide, what matters most is finishing the job they started in 1959.
“As long as there is one hurting child out there, we are going to keep going.”
On this 22 minute episode of Carey Pena Reports, The Ladies, in a rare sit down interview, talk about the power of positive change and what others can learn from their story of perseverance.
For more information about Childhelp visit https://www.childhelp.org
Transcript Carey: Hey everyone, this is a special edition of Carey Pena Reports. Today we are with two trailblazers who founded an organization that to date has saved and changed the lives of more than 10 million children. We sit down with them for a rare interview at their home in Paradise Valley, Arizona to talk about leadership and how you can’t let anyone deter you from your dreams. Here’s that interview.
Carey: We are on location today talking about the power of positive change, and I am here with two very well-known change makers, Yvonne Fedderson and Sara O’Meara, the founders of Child Help. Thank you both so much for joining us today.
Sara: Thank you for having us.
Yvonne: We love joining you.
Carey: Thank you for inviting us into your home and there is so much to talk about. You are celebrating 60 years of Child Help and we will talk about all of the incredible accomplishments, but first, I want to talk to you about the leadership lessons that you’ve learned over the years.
Yvonne: Oh my gosh.
Carey: Because you ladies were really change makers before it was en vogue to be so. Where did you find your courage in the late 1950s, early 1960s to stand up and say “we see a problem and we want to change”?
Sara: Well, I think it was because we felt so deeply about what was happening to these children. We began taking care of the half American child that were known as throwaway children in Japan and Vietnam and so when we saw their suffering and the fact that these were God’s precious children and they were not being taken care of, it was something we just had to do. That gave us the courage to speak out because remember those wars were not exactly popular wars, so to speak.
Carey: The opposite.
Yvonne: Yeah.
Sara: Very much the opposite.
Yvonne: Also, we were very young.
Sara: Yes.
Yvonne: And we just did it, you know?
Carey: You saw something.
Yvonne: We saw a need and we said we’ve got to do it and that was it.
Sara: We’re going to kill it.
Carey: You jumped into action.
Sara: But we never dreamed it would be our whole life.
Yvonne: No.
Sara: I mean, we were actresses at the time and so that’s what we thought we would be doing, but it ended up that this became our life’s mission, and then after we built the orphanages, we built nine orphanages, a hospital for orphans and a school …
Yvonne: In Japan and Vietnam.
Sara: In Japan and Vietnam. WE thought that that was it, and what happened is when we were speaking as keynote speakers about the Operation Baby Lift, because it was our organization that brought the babies over after the war ended, then Governor Reagan and Mrs. Reagan, Nancy and Ronnie, were there on the dais with us, and Nancy stopped Yvonne and me and said, “You’re just the two to do this. You need to do something about child abuse in our country.” Well, no one had ever heard about child abuse. It was never, ever mentioned. All the laws protected…
Yvonne: That was way back in ’75.
Carey: Yeah.
Sara: Yes, and the laws protected the perpetrator, not the child. So, we did jump in to do that and state by state we had to help change laws so that we had safety for these children, and then we built villages for abused children, advocacy centers, the national child abuse hotline …
Carey: It continued to grow and grow.
Sara: It continued to grow.
Carey: So Nancy Reagan encouraged you ladies.
Yvonne: Oh, they supported us.
Carey: She knew that you were the two to do it. So, you had a lot of famous friends, but that’s not enough to make an entire organization as big and powerful as yours. What was it, do you think, Yvonne, inside you that made you believe that you could do it, because you have helped change and save the lives of millions of children?
Yvonne: Well, we felt this was a calling for both of us because we were selected out of 500 actresses to go on this trip. So even at the time when were selected, we looked at each other and we said, “God must have a plan for this trip, for the two of us to be selected.” They didn’t even know we knew each other. So for us to be selected was really something, and then when we found these children, we thought, “That’s why we’re here. We’re supposed to help these children.” Well, one thing led to another. Then when we were asked to do this, we felt within our heart, and of course we pray about everything and we’ve always dedicated our organization to God. He’s really the CEO of our organization.
Sara: That’s for sure.
Yvonne: But we also were blessed to have many fabulous people to support us. Not only the stars, but we have volunteers who have been with us 30 and 40 and 50 years. Now, think about that. So it’s become their mission also.
Carey: A lifetime.
Sara: A lifetime.
Carey: A lifetime.
Sara: Yeah.
Yvonne: A lifetime.
Carey: Now, they have so many great star stories. Can’t even get into the whole Elvis Presley and all of this, because then I’d just become a fan girl, but I am interested in that passion, and just the concept that you saw when you started to make change that it was possible.
Yvonne: Absolutely.
Carey: And when you start to see that, because I think a lot of people who are watching and listening to this show, and this show is about the power of positive change, and sometimes we don’t know our own power. You ladies were young.
Yvonne: Everyone has it.
Carey: Everyone has it. Talk to me about that.
Yvonne: But they have to use it.
Carey: And when you realized that you had it.
Sara: We realized we had it when frankly we depended on God, because we always asked to be guided. We don’t want our plan because that’s a meager plan compared to what God has planned for each one of us.
Yvonne: That’s right.
Sara: He has a plan for every single individual, and we can make changes. Everyone that is on this earth can make a change. They have to choose to want to make a change. That’s the difference. They have to know that the answers to life is in service to others, and once you get that, then your life lives outside of yourself. It’s not all about me, me, me. Instead you want to reach out. You want to make a difference in people’s lives, and you can. There isn’t anybody listening, anybody out there that cannot make a change, a difference in someone’s life, but in a lot of lives if you so choose.
Yvonne: We’ve been very blessed to attract people that have hearts like that, that want to serve. They have a servant’s heart and they’re very, very dedicated, and we really love and appreciate them, and all the people … Maybe they can’t be a volunteer but they support us in other ways. Whatever way they help, it’s wonderful and God will bless them for that.
Carey: Because I want to point out that, I mean, you ladies are obviously beautiful to this very day, but when you went on this mission, you were young, hot Hollywood starlets, and you didn’t have to put your sort of glamour aside to start rescuing children, but you felt that was your calling.
Yvonne: But you see, everything kind of comes together. As you get older, you look back and you realize that being an actress was part of our life and it opened up many, many doors for us to … Of course, I married a Hollywood producer too, which helped, but all those doors opened up different things that help the organization. For instance, the stars. They were a great asset to our organization, but like I say, the volunteers then were great, so it’s wonderful how God opens up doors when we open up our heart to serve him.
Carey: Were there people along the way who tried to discourage you as Child Help continued to grow?
Sara: Oh yes.
Yvonne: Oh my goodness, big time.
Sara: Every time you do anything good, you’re going to have the other side.
Yvonne: That’s right, of course.
Sara: That not always is very complimentary. Other people may find fault with anything that you do. The main ingredient is perseverance. If you know something is right to do, you cannot let anyone discourage you, and when we built the very first residential treatment center for child abuse in our nation, people were saying to us, particularly in social service, “Well, you can’t do that. Nobody’s been able to do that and you don’t have a degree in social service and it will never be a success.” Well, from the day we’ve opened, it’s been successful. That was 40 years ago and we’ve built other villages for abused children across the nation. So, you cannot let others define who you are and who you want to be.
Yvonne: You know what Sara said when she said “when you know something is right,” it’s so true because we knew the villages were right. We knew the centers were right. Every time we’ve opened a program or started a program, it’s been a challenge, but when we know something or anyone knows something within your heart that’s right to do, just like Sarah said, don’t let other people discourage you. Keep your eye on what you’re supposed to do. Keep your eye on the gold and you will make it through because it’s right for you to do.
Carey: Is there any sort of … and I know that you draw so much inspiration from your faith-
Yvonne: Absolutely.
Carey: Which is so deep and guiding in your life, but where else … I mean, are there sort of affirmations or is it the friendship between the two of you where when one is down, the other one says, “We can continue”?
Sara: Well, we realize that it’s so much easier when you have a partner, when you have someone that thinks like you do, they’re mission driven, and yes, we help each other through our dark times. Everybody has problems. Everybody has obstacles in their families, in their personal life, in their business life.
Yvonne: And we’ve been through it all together. Everything.
Sara: Yeah, and so we do help each other through those times and that’s been very helpful, but also, you never get through life as a success unless others reach out and help you, and so we have had many wonderful mentors in our life, to whom we could look up and see what made their lives successful and how they react to things, and so we learn from each other.
Yvonne: And you also learn through everything that you go through. You think at the time, “Oh, this is terrible. We’re never gonna make it through this problem,” but you do, and when you get through it, you use it on something great. It’s a great lesson for us to grow.
Carey: Let’s talk a little bit more about Child Help for those listening and watching who aren’t familiar with the organization. Child Help is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. According to your website, over 10 million children have been impacted. I want to go through a few of the wins. You have built advocacy centers and group homes for children who have already unfortunately been affected by child abuse. You have created prevention programs like the Child Help Speak Up, Be Safe program which is spreading to more schools.
Sara: All across the nation.
Carey: In Arizona and across the country.
Yvonne: We’d like to be in every school, especially here in Arizona.
Carey: Yes, your goals are always lofty, and this one I think is … All of them are important but I love that you established this national child abuse hotline, which, by the way, I want to give out that number, is 1-800-4-A-CHILD, and this is done in multiple languages because I think in my mind about the moment when a child is scared and hiding and doesn’t know what to do, and where do you turn? So you ladies have tried to think through those problems.
Sara: Yes, and it’s the only hotline that has degreed professionals answering the phones, not volunteers, so it’s more than a hotline. They’re therapists that can talk the child through it, and not just give out a number, even though we do that as well. For the first time in history we’re having texting, and that’s something else that is new.
Carey: Thank you for reminding me about that because that’s huge.
Sara: It’s very huge.
Yvonne: It is huge because the children are kind of afraid naturally to talk about what’s going on, but they’re so used to texting that they go for like 45 minutes and tell you everything, so that’s wonderful.
Carey: How much does it matter to you that these children have the opportunity to see that life can be beautiful? Child abuse as a news anchor and reporter, I know that it is an uncomfortable conversation.
Sara: There’s no question about it.
Carey: And a lot of people don’t like to talk about it, but what is going on in a lot of homes is very, very tragic. How important is it for you ladies to give a resource to children who are suffering?
Sara: It means everything because it means the change of their life. It also means they don’t have to go through so much suffering. So many, many times we have had survivors come back and say, “Oh, if I’d only known about that 1-800, the number 4, A-CHILD, I could’ve gotten help, but they didn’t know where to go, and they didn’t even know they were being abused sometimes because it started so young, they thought everybody was abused like that. So, it means everything because what you’re doing is giving safety to a child. You’re giving them their life, because child abuse can rob you of your youth, of your young life, and it sticks with you a long time. It takes a lot to overcome that, and one of the first things we do when the children come into our villages is give them a sense of self-worth because they just feel that they’re nobody.
Sara: We had a child that came in with “bad kid” burned into his back with cigarette burns-
Carey: Bad kid.
Yvonne: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Sara: When you would ask him what his name was, he’d say “bad kid” because he was called that, and that’s what he thought his name was. So, you have to really work with these children to let them know how precious they really are and that there’s only one set of fingerprints and that’s theirs, and they can make a big difference in their life. Once they know that and they understand how precious they truly are as a human being, the healing can start then, and so, yes, it means everything to see a life change.
Carey: So, I’m thinking about all the people out there who are inspired by you and what you’ve been able to accomplish, and we cannot all be a Sara and Yvonne. You guys have created something truly special, but each in our own way we have the ability.
Sara: Absolutely.
Carey: Over the years as you’ve seen one child’s life change and another child’s life.
Yvonne: Many child’s …
Carey: And then thousands and millions, it truly is a story about all things are possible when we really care.
Yvonne: Absolutely, absolutely.
Sara: There’s no question about it. Caring is a beautiful thing. If you have a caring heart, it takes you down a pathway, a beautiful journey of life because when you truly care about people, you truly care about feelings, you truly care to make that child whole again, then what this does to you on the inside, it develops you as a person and it gives you the strength really from within. You may not know from which it cometh, but that’s what gives us the strength, is in order to give back to another.
Carey: Has there ever been, and I imagine I know the answer to this, but has there ever been a time where you think, “Okay, we’re ready to retire” and-
Yvonne: No.
Carey: Because when I’ve been around you ladies, you have to-do lists that puts mine to shame, but you have already accomplished so much, but yet-
Yvonne: But there’s more to accomplish. There’s always more to accomplish.
Sara: There’s more left to do.
Yvonne: Yep.
Sara: And we have great plans for developing other programs that have never been developed. We’re kind of known as the trailblazers to get out there and start programs that have never been done before. We opened the first advocacy center with everything under one roof … police, the social services, the hospital …
Carey: An integrative approach, right.
Sara: That’s correct.
Yvonne: And this new one’s going to be like that. Everyone involved.
Sara: And then the villages, we were the first ones to open that. We’re the first ones for the hotline. We’re the first ones to have prevention in our schools, and so we’re kind of the trailblazers in that respect. We’re not afraid to take risks, but you have to in life.
Carey: So let’s talk a little bit about that, because I think that’s a really important point. Sometimes it can be very scary to be the person-
Sara: Yes, of course.
Carey: Who says, “Well, we can do it a little differently.”
Sara: And there are a lot of naysayers along the way.
Carey: And there’s a lot of naysayers.
Yvonne: We might get scared within ourselves and talk to each other, but we don’t let anyone else know.
Carey: But how do you fight through that and see that, okay, I have this vision and I know that vision is something that we should try to test out?
Sara: Yes, we’re working on a vision right now that has never been done before that will integrate all of our programs. It will be literally a city, and so we’re working on that now and we hope to see that come to pass.
Carey: So you ladies, and I know it’s not appropriate to ask age, but you’re-
Sara: We don’t mind that you’re asking our age.
Carey: Do you care saying how …
Sara: No. I’ll be 85 in September.
Carey: And Yvonne?
Yvonne: I’ll be 84 in April.
Carey: So you’re the younger …
Yvonne: I’m the young one.
Sara: … Your elder.
Carey: I appreciate you saying that, because I think as a woman, I look at you ladies and truly you inspire me so much.
Yvonne: Well thank you.
Carey: To keep going and to keep building.
Yvonne: Well as long as we have our health, we’re going to continue right on, and we work every day.
Carey: And you still see how much you can contribute to your vision.
Yvonne: Yes.
Sara: Yes, we hope so.
Yvonne: But there are a lot of people that help us.
Sara: Yes.
Yvonne: We have a great staff, we have great volunteers as we mentioned. I mean, they’re wonderful. We haven’t done this alone.
Sara: And look, you’re helping us right now. You’re getting the word out.
Yvonne: That’s right.
Carey: It really is remarkable, though, to see that 60 years later, you are as enthusiastic, if not more, than when you were those young starlets who got sent on that movie assignment all those years ago. What does it mean to you to be celebrating the 60th year, to know that you’ve had this kind of impact?
Sara: It’s a wonderful feeling because we don’t think … You know when you start something, you don’t think, “Oh, well, in 60 years …” You have no idea. It’s just one step at a time, but when we look back over these six decades and the children that have been helped through our organization, we realize that anything is possible. You have to set your goals, as Yvonne said. You have to continue on that pathway.
Yvonne: Keep your eyes on the goal.
Sara: And not let anyone deter you if you know it’s the right way, regardless of what is said, what seems to be a lack at the time, whether it’s monetarily or whatever. You’ll have to know that it’s going to be provided because … We talk about God a lot but we have to because it’s the way that it’s done. If we didn’t depend on God, we wouldn’t be here to celebrate the 60th anniversary and have helped 10 and a half million children.
Yvonne: And we’re just grateful that both of us are here and both of us have our health and be able to celebrate our 60th.
Carey: What an incredible journey you’ve had together.
Sara: Yes.
Carey: I mean, really, your friendship is something for the ages.
Yvonne: And our husbands were best friends. They had to be.
Carey: I mean, it just defies what sometimes people think about women not being able to truly be in lockstep with one another, because I see it a whole different way.
Sara: A lot of people said that. In fact, a lot of our celebrities that have been with us through the years, you know, Jane Seymour and Cheryl Ladd …
Yvonne: Kathie Lee.
Sara: Kathie Lee Gifford.
Yvonne: The list goes on and on. They’ve been fabulous.
Sara: They will say to us, “The greatest miracle is your friendship, because it’s lasted so long and you can work together so harmoniously.”
Carey: Yes, it’s such a partnership, and on the subject, just as we close things out here, on the subject of celebrities, you ladies have some of the biggest and most extravagant, beautiful galas including the Drive The Dream, which draws a lot of celebrities. It’s held in Phoenix, but you also do beautiful galas in California, but …
Sara: And back in East in Washington and Tennessee and…
Carey: All over, which are beautiful, extravagant affairs, but I do want to point out for the audience who may have heard about these galas, as I’ve been … and disclaimer here, I’m a volunteer on the Drive the Dream committee, but as I’ve gotten to know you, yes, the dressing up is fun and yes, the … That’s all fun, but what matters to you is what’s getting done with the money.
Yvonne: That’s right.
Sara: That’s right.
Yvonne: That’s right.
Carey: That’s what matters to you because you have big goals and dreams. Even at 84 and 85 years old, you still have a lot to accomplish.
Sara: We do, and as long as there’s one hurting child out there, we’re going to keep going.
Carey: Yvonne, what’s your final message?
Yvonne: We really hope that you young people will carry on when we cross over. We really pray that every night, because…
Carey: I only feel like I could be a small portion of filling your shoes but I am so privileged to be a part of it because learning from women like you is really a blessing for me. Thank you both.
Yvonne: That’s very kind of you to say.
Sara: Thank you, you’re a blessing to us too.
Yvonne: Thank you, and thank all those who are listening to this program today who support Child Help. We really appreciate it and we know the children certainly appreciate it. Their lives would be totally different without their help.
Carey: For more information on Child Help, we would love for you to go to the website, ChildHelp.org. Thank you so much for watching and for listening to Carey Pena Reports, and you can find out more information on our website, InspiredMedia360.com. Take care, everyone.
The post The Founders of Childhelp Succeed With Perseverance and Prayer appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“If we all created space for MORE LIFE and LESS stuff or overcommitted schedules we’d feel more free, present, joyful, and focused. LIVE MORE with LESS distractions… you’ll fly higher.”
Coach Darleen Santore is on a mission to help people simplify their lives!
As an occupational therapist, her role for 22 years has been helping people live life to the fullest and reach full potential. Now more than ever, she says, she’s noticing people consuming so much that they are overwhelmed, weighed down, and exhausted.
On this 33 minute episode of Transformation Tuesday, Coach Dar shares 3 ways you can simplify your life.
And she opens up about how making these very same changes in her own life helped her transform.
Transcript Carey Pena: What does it mean to transform? Not just how you look, but how you think. Not just losing weight, but gaining strength. The best experts, the best advice. Getting better together. Inspired Media 360 presents Transformation Tuesday.
Carey Pena: This is Transformation Tuesday. I’m your host, Carey Pena. On this show we talk about total life transformations and how we become the best versions of ourselves.
Carey Pena: Back in the studio, one of my faves, coach and author, Darleen Santore. You have so many exciting things going on.
Coach Dar: Yes.
Carey Pena: Thank you so much for coming back.
Coach Dar: Thanks, Carey, for having me on. I’m excited to be here.
Carey Pena: Today we’re talking about a post that you put up that is blowing up big. You basically said, “Simplicity is the new big,” and you said, “Follow me here for a minute. We’ve been brainwashed for years to have more, consume more, say more, do more, scroll more. Enough.”
Carey Pena: What made you want to put up that post?
Coach Dar: So many things, but in my profession as an occupational therapist for the past 22 years, my whole role has been helping people live life to the fullest, and getting them to reach their full potential. I noticed recently, more than ever, everyone is consuming so much, whether it’s mentally, physically, spiritually, scrolling more, consuming more products. Things are weighing people down, and I’m seeing people be more and more exhausted. I’ve seen more people with anxiety and depression. Suicide has been at a higher rate. Financial problems people are having, divorces, there’s just so much that’s going on.
Coach Dar: When I started to look, I was researching for my book and also looking back at patterns, because as a therapist that’s what I’ll look at to try to fix it, I noticed that it’s because we’re not simplifying. We’re taking on more than we could actually do, and that goes for mental and physical. I wanted to be able to share as a theme, almost as an anthem for the year, simplify. It’s almost like I hear in my head Justin Timberlake song, “I’m Bringing Sexy Back”. I want to bring simplicity back and simplify.
Carey Pena: By the way, for our audience, we’re going to get three great tips from you about where you begin to simplify. You had a bit of a rough year last year, and you had a health crisis. Would you take us through that?
Coach Dar: Sure.
Carey Pena: I’m sure that also played into your own personal feelings about needing to simplify.
Coach Dar: Yes. Often passions come from life experiences. Last May, this past summer, I had a stroke, and this happened to be my third stroke. Prior to that I had been traveling. I coach in sports and in business, but I was traveling all season with the Phoenix Suns. We were gone seven days a week pretty much working. I love what I do, but it was so much. Everything that I was doing that I think that’s where my body let me know that’s enough, and unfortunately had to endure that.
Coach Dar: In that time that I was healing over the summer, and also working on my book, that’s when it came to me. I thought, “This is it. This is why. This is my body telling me you have to slow down,” but look at everyone that I work with or what we’re seeing on TV and everything we’re consuming is, people are breaking down. We’re not meant to sometimes keep up to a certain pace or take on so much on our calendars and do. We have to say no so that we could say yes to the right things.
Carey Pena: This is something that you definitely identify with. I know in one of your posts you wrote, “Listen. I’ve been there, saying yes to too much or giving away so much, especially time.” This year you are sharing your ways to set healthy boundaries and operate more efficiently and more joyfully. I love this. You say, “If it’s not a heck yes, then it’s a hell no. Hell to the no.”
Coach Dar: That’s right.
Carey Pena: And this is your talking about on things, on appointments, on meetings, coffee, tea, drinks, meetups, dinners. I tend to do that. I fall into that, because I like people and I might go, “Oh, let’s just meet up for a quick …” Then all of a sudden I look at my schedule for the week and I’m wondering, “How did this happen? Why is every single moment of my day scheduled out?” That’s really not healthy.
Coach Dar: No. We need time to breathe. We need to time to reflect. You might have come out of a great meeting, but if you don’t sit and reflect on it, write notes, and you rush right into the next one, it just becomes meeting, meeting, meeting. Then at the end of the night you’re maybe with your family, and it’s 11:00 PM and you’re trying to just download what happened and reflect on it, but you’re exhausted by then. We’re putting so much on our schedule, and you really need to stop and say, “Is this something that I’m going to be able to be 110% if I show up? Is it necessary for what I’m working on?”
Coach Dar: We want to be able to be productive, but you have a gift to give and share with the world. If you’re constantly under, almost like you don’t have the oxygen, you’re on empty, you’re really not giving the best. You’re really not able to show up. We need people to stop and say, “Okay. If it is a coffee or a tea or a drink or a dinner, whatever it is, or a meeting, is this my highest and best use going? Am I going to be able to show up and be productive, and how is this going to affect my whole day?” If it’s not a heck yes, then it’s a hell no. Ask that, really try this, and we’ll get into it, but ask yourself this each time when you make a decision.
Carey Pena: You’re not necessarily talking about that everything needs to be transactional, because I pay attention to that. I don’t need to get something from every interaction. Sometimes if someone just wants to meet up and have a coffee to say hi, that’s great and I love that. I don’t want everything to be about a business transaction. You’re saying just look at the overview and how much you’re stacking up.
Coach Dar: Right, because you don’t want every day to just be booked every second, because then where you really do have that social meeting where you want to be present, you’re so rushed in your mind to get to the next thing that you can’t even enjoy the time. Really, a lot of this, too, is about being present and simplifying and taking time to enjoy what is right in front of you, the blessings that you have, even the work that you’re doing but were so rushed and it’s so booked you can’t even enjoy it. It robs us of our joy.
Carey Pena: What has been the response since you’ve put up the post, because I know a lot … This is a real hot topic.
Coach Dar: It really is. When I write something, I write because I’m so passionate about it, and I really am not sure how someone’s going to receive it, but it has been blowing up to the point where people are writing in. People have asked for interviews, and it allows me to know that this is a hot topic, but truly it’s because people are hurting. People feel like they’re drowning. They don’t know how to kind of get back their life, so hopefully by sharing this and really being able to share some tips and coach people through this, we’re going to get people so that they feel better.
Carey Pena: I sent an email blast talking about you coming on the show, and we’re going to be talking about simplicity, and I got a lot of responses. One of them came from a good friend of mine who I didn’t even know was on our email list. Her name is Lori Gentile. She’s a very successful interior designer and she writes to me saying, “Carey, this has been my motto for years now. I crave downtime at the house just doing nothing, or just puttering in my garden, and for sure meditating.”
Carey Pena: She’s a very sought after interior designer, but she immediately wrote back after she got this, so I know that the message is resonating and I love that you’re trying to bring it to more people. For folks who are listening, thinking, “Okay. I like where you ladies are going with this,” where do we begin? You gave me three steps that you think will really profoundly help people simplify, and you begin with … It seems obvious but I want to take people through it. You begin with decluttering your place to make space.
Coach Dar: Yes. If this is your workplace, or if this is your home, or even your car, because sometimes people have to travel a lot or commute a lot in their car. I need everyone to just stop and inventory their space. Is your space a space that provides flow? Is there a lot of clutter around you? Are things not put away? Is there always something that your mind subconsciously is going, “You need to get to that. You need to get to that,” or it’s kind of hovering over you, because if it is, it’s a burden. Then you cannot think clearly.
Coach Dar: If your car is always messy and you get in it you’re going to feel it. If your workspace, your desk, is constantly with a pile on it and it’s not organized, your brain is actually picking up that that is something that it has to tend to, so therefore it can’t settle. It can’t focus on what it is that you’re trying to focus on. We’ve studied this as therapists, and every time people clean up their space they start to become more efficient and more productive. Even to the point of someone’s home, your friend who just wrote in. She loves to be able to just be in her garden and be home, and if her space is inviting and she’s excited to get home, she’s going to recover. Then, when she goes out to a client, she’s going to be that much more inspired and productive.
Carey Pena: That’s right.
Coach Dar: Our space has so much to do about really our greatness and how great we’re going to show up and be more effective if we have it in order. Structure is actually good. Not everyone is gifted in being able to organize. I know it’s not my highest gift, but I actually have friends, or there are companies out there, that you can call someone that they will help create systems for you, and then you’re able to come home and just follow that system. It does a world of good, and you’ll see changes.
Coach Dar: I had a woman just even fix her car, because she kept throwing things in it. Once she fixed her home and her car, she ended up producing in her business almost a million dollars more the next year.
Carey Pena: Wow. To be clear, are you saying that it’s beneficial to organize your space, or to actually remove tangible things?
Coach Dar: Both. You want to be able to let … Everyone just goes to the obvious of your closet. Are there things that you don’t need? Shed it. In your home, if there are a lot of things, knickknacks or things that are cluttering up the space that don’t allow it to flow, remove it. If you don’t need it or it’s not bringing you joy, then you should donate it. You should give it away. Also, organizing things will allow you so that you know where things are so that you are more efficient, so both decluttering it and then creating structure to what’s there.
Carey Pena: That makes sense, though. For instance, when you say that when you look around and you see, for instance, if you’re in your office and you have a huge stack, and that includes bills, and to-do lists, and all this, your brain immediately when you look at that thinks… all those things need to be done.
Coach Dar: Right. Think about, too, when you walk into a hotel. Often hotels are streamlined, they’re clean, and everyone always feels great when they walk in the hotel room or a resort. Think about your space, your space you want to be able to … It’s inviting when you walk into those spaces. Create your space so that has that same flow, because if there is too much clutter, truly your brain cannot focus as well.
Carey Pena: What did you remove from your space as you started thinking about this?
Coach Dar: I realized how many little … I might have saved cards from people, I might have saved old programs of things, and I was thinking, “Why am I holding onto all of this?” Because they were actual … They were in baskets, but the baskets were overflowing. I was like, “Why am I keeping this stuff?” And I remembered Wayne Dyer said this one point. He told his assistant before he moved to Maui, he said, “Get rid of anything. If I can’t Google it, I don’t need it, and if I can’t scan it and it can’t be something electronic, then I don’t need it.”
Coach Dar: He said when you free your space you become lighter, and when you’re lighter you don’t feel weighed down. He says, “Anytime I had to travel for work, I had exactly what I needed and I didn’t need any more.”
Carey Pena: I love that.
Coach Dar: As he moved, he was able to move freely, and you’re more inspired. You really do think clearer when you have less.
Carey Pena: We need to create more space for creativity.
Coach Dar: Yes.
Carey Pena: Let’s go to number two, be decisive in your decision-making.
Coach Dar: Yes. This goes back to what I had put out there, if it’s not a heck yes, it’s a hell no. Every decision you make. Oftentimes you might say, “Oh, I’ll get to that later. Let me think on it,” and yes, you do absolutely have to pause, but you need time to pause and you need space to pause. You want to ask yourself, “Can I make the decision? Right now, would this be a heck yes or a hell now?”
Coach Dar: If at any moment you’re like, “I don’t really know if I should do this,” it’s probably a no. At that time in your schedule you probably shouldn’t add it on. It becomes a tool you could use to make quicker decisions, so then you could be more efficient. I keep repeating this efficiency, but really when we’re more efficient, we have greater results. Take that inventory question, that statement, and filter everything through it. Even when you’re going to just go to dinner, should you be taking on another dinner this week, or would it be better that you were at home and you just relaxed and you were with your family?
Carey Pena: Well, truly, too, I think that it’s not a service to whomever you’re going to dinner with if you really don’t want to be there.
Coach Dar: Right.
Carey Pena: That goes back to you’re not showing up at your 110%.
Coach Dar: Right.
Carey Pena: Do you also apply that to business for you as an entrepreneur? And I look at myself, as you’re saying this I’m thinking through how I dissect potential projects. I just was talking to you before we started about I love doing media coaching. I realized now as people are asking me to do the coaching, it’s a, “Yes, I love it. That’s fun. I see great results in the people I coach.” I really apply that to my business decisions.
Coach Dar: Right. You light up. You even just lit up when you just said that, but see where … Here’s your gift. You’re so gifted and talented at that. If you were able to clear your schedule so you could say yes to that more, you’re going to have a greater impact with the people that you served than saying yes to other things that, while you’ll be good at doing, this you say yes to and you’re great at it. You’re going to help.
Coach Dar: If you keep adding all these little yeses that maybe, while I could help you, but is it your highest and best use? Probably not, when you could go and do this with certain particular clients who do this media coaching, and you’re going to knock it out of the park, and they’re going to get such great results, and it’s all about the ripple effect and the impact we want to leave in this world.
Carey Pena: Is that how you’ve come to run your business decisions as well?
Coach Dar: Absolutely, especially after the stroke this summer. I had to decide. A very large well-known organization in sports had called, and most people would have said yes to something to be able to be on staff with them. However, my schedule would have been 6:30 in the morning until 11:00 at night for a long time, and I had to say no because I knew I could say yes to other things and use my time more effectively. Because I had to look at my health, I had to look at also where I could put great quality of time and important to people, and where I wanted things to go.
Coach Dar: So if you know what your plan is for the year and you want to now say yes to the things that are going to use your gifts, you’re allowed to. Versus just saying yes because maybe that’s what the world thinks you should do, or because it’s glamorous. Really start to be clear on what your intention is for your life, for using your gifts, and where you want to go.
Carey Pena: With the using the hypothetical, expanding on that, I think a lot of times … You said no to a very large organization. A lot of times, though, people are afraid that, “Will that sort of opportunity come to me again?” You have to have confidence that if you make these intentional decisions and you say yes to the right things, more of the right things will come along.
Coach Dar: Right, and then you have to say, “How do you want your quality of life?” Really, because I’m watching more and more people hustling and working themselves truly to the point that their health is affected, their life is affected, their marriage is affected, they’re not able to be with their family. There’s times that, listen, business is going to ebb and flow, and you have to pour into it, but you just have to look at what’s the quality of life and what’s the impact that I want to live and lead, and then how do I want to show up doing that, and then create a schedule around that.
Carey Pena: Let’s dig a little deeper right there before we get to the third one, because you brought up a good point about the hustle. The hustle has been sold to a lot of people as, “You gotta get out there and hustle nonstop,” and some very smart people like … What’s his name? Gary V? (Vaynerchuck)
Coach Dar: Yes.
Carey Pena: And Grant Cardone, who I follow both of them.
Coach Dar: I love both of them.
Carey Pena: They are great, and hustle works for them.
Coach Dar: Right.
Carey Pena: Clearly it has worked. They’re really successful, but not everyone could duplicate. They do it so well it almost makes it look very easy, because they’re hustling all the time and every time I see Grant … He’s awesome, and his wife’s awesome, but I see him, he’s getting in his private jet, and they’re hustling, they’re speaking, and constantly creating content and all of that. That sort of feeling that you can do it 24 hours a day I think takes people down a disappointing road.
Coach Dar: The other thing, too, is not everyone is equipped the same, and I think people have to understand that. I knew coming out with this message that I was going to go up against the hustle.
Carey Pena: You’re going the opposite direction.
Coach Dar: Yes. However, I want … It’s kind of like this. One diet doesn’t fit all. Well, the same with how we go after our goals in our life, one model doesn’t fit all. There might be some people that this hustle is working for them, but there’s a lot of people that it’s not, and it’s breaking people’s backs. It’s literally breaking down their lives, their marriages, everything, so how do you balance this? There’s not a perfect zen, but you have to find what’s right for you and your family, and how you want … That’s why I said what’s the quality of life. Where do you want to go at things?
Coach Dar: Maybe you could do certain things for so many months and then you need a break. Just how do you expand this? Hustle for everyone doesn’t work, and I used to work, when … I am an occupational therapist, but I worked many years in the hospital, and we had a sleep lab. It would show we would have studies that would show people that lack of sleep was so toxic to the body. It cannot literally rebuild itself, so when people make the expressions, “You can sleep when you’re dead,” let me tell you, if you don’t get the sleep, you can end up going out of this world earlier than you should.
Coach Dar: There’s a book, “Sleep Revolution”, that Arianna Huffington wrote, and I love it, but we need to start really giving people also some sound advice on the other side effects, the side effects of hustle, and that if you don’t take care of yourself, and you don’t get the right care, you have to work out, you have to get sleep, but you have to create this balance. Otherwise you aren’t going to make it. You can’t get to the finish line. So what was it all for?
Carey Pena: Isn’t some of it, too, that you need to think through your objectives?
Coach Dar: Yes.
Carey Pena: Because not everyone wants to 10X their life. Is the objective to make a lot more money? Is the objective to move to a bigger house? It might be, and in that case you might need to really hustle, hustle, hustle until you make a certain amount. I think that’s important to think about that. Going back to my friend, Lori Gentile, a very successful interior designer, but she has worked … I’ve known her for quite a few years. She’s one of the best designers. She has worked very intentionally over the years. She does not take a ton of jobs at one time. She makes sure the clients that she works with align with her style. She has a very holistic style, and she used to drive me crazy because I would tell her, “Get on Instagram.”
Carey Pena: “I don’t want to do all that.” Now, she has now has her team a little bit on Instagram. Good job, Lori, very proud of you. I see the wisdom in what she saying, that she doesn’t want to be on Facebook. She chose one platform, that is a good platform for interior design, and she’s allowed that to grow, but she’s worked very intentionally so that gives her the time and space to have that simplicity in her life.
Coach Dar: Customize. Exactly. She’s able to customize her lifestyle to fit her needs, and that’s what everyone has … Even this, simplicity might not be for all, hustle’s not going to be for all, but you have to be able to choose what’s right for you. I could share that over thousands of people that I’ve worked with. Those that got clear on how they wanted their life and their schedule to look, and then created this efficient system around it and simplified, became more successful in the long run.
Coach Dar: I even think about how Steve Jobs wore his black crew neck shirt, because he didn’t want to have to think about what he was wearing. He was creating efficiency and simplicity, and I think Mark Zuckerberg talks about that, too. We know that there’s ways that you could create some simple tactics in your life and still do what you need to do to get the work done, but it’s going to allow you to be a lot more efficient. We don’t need more. We need better connection. If you really want to have a thriving life and one that’s fulfilled and happy, it’s about making greater connections, and it’s about quality, not quantity.
Carey Pena: I see a real passion and somewhat of an urgency in the way you’re bringing this message. Do you feel that it’s important to try to get people to think about this before they crash and burn?
Coach Dar: Yes. This has been why I actually left a high paying job as a president of a healthcare company to start my own practice years ago, because I wanted to get to people before it was too late. I’m feeling this urgency all over again, because when you watch the news or you see what’s going on, we have more and more people unhappy, depressed, anxiety. More people are on anxiety meds than they’ve ever been, so what’s going wrong? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I’m here to just say please just take this under consideration. Use this almost as a script for life. Try simplifying things and see if you feel better after this.
Carey Pena: I was in the Dominican Republic and we were down at the beach and a gentlemen, I think they were from the East Coast, a gentleman and his wife were there, and he was on his phone. His wife said, “Oh, how is everything going at your work?” So he was checking his emails, and she said to him, “Are they getting by without you?”
Carey Pena: I’ll not forget this. He said, “Barely.”
Carey Pena: I started thinking about it, how sometimes we feel, all of us, that we are so important, that if we step away for a second. That’s why I think a lot of times it’s kind of scary to simplify because you think, “I’m needed here. I have to go to that meeting. They need to talk to me. They need my input.”
Carey Pena: When in actuality, the world keeps on turning. I looked over and the wife was kind of like, “Whatever,” but it made him feel good to check in.
Coach Dar: Right.
Carey Pena: Number three on your list. This is interesting. They’re all interesting, but this stood out to me. Be a producer, not a consumer.
Coach Dar: Yes.
Carey Pena: Let’s talk about that.
Coach Dar: I am playing with words here, but so often we’re consuming. We’re consuming the next thing, we’re consuming the next feed, we’re consuming media, we’re consuming stuff mentally, physically, spiritually. We’re consuming instead of producing. When we consume a lot, it keeps weighing us down, we can’t produce. I’m talking about efficiency and your greatness, so I’m asking people to take inventory of watch what you consume in a week. From what you watch to what you buy to what you’re putting around you, negative talk even. You’re consuming things. Watch what you’re consuming and try to be a producer.
Coach Dar: How do you want to show up? How can you produce more in the sense of not producing more things that just don’t add value, but how do you produce an impact when you show up? When you’re actually simplifying and you have more peace in your mind when you sit down at a meeting or with a friend, you’re actually producing a better environment in response because you’re clear now, and you’re more effective. Versus if you’re constantly consuming, and then you have back to back to back to back meeting, or buying and buying and buying. You’re consuming and you’re not producing. You’re not showing up. You’re not as efficient. It’s a play on words here, but be a producer, not a consumer so much on what you’re taking in.
Carey Pena: How do you apply that to your own life? Give me an example.
Coach Dar: I watch what I bring in mentally, so what I consume, I don’t watch anything that’s negative.
Carey Pena: So you don’t watch any news.
Coach Dar: Truly, I really don’t.
Carey Pena: You get your news from me texting you.
Coach Dar: I do. Exactly. I get news by people tell me, or I’ll look at a newsfeed when I’m ready to look at it, but not where it’s just pouring in and I have no control or filter of it. I watch, now, how much I’m consuming as far as in a move that I’m making, my space. What do I really need? Do I need to consume anything new? If I don’t, then I’m not getting it. I watch what I consume as far as people that are around me. Are they uplifting? Are they moving in the right direction? When I have to refill myself I have to make sure that I’m consuming the right things, but by watching what I consume I now show up and I can produce better for people. When they have me come and help them I’m now giving 110% and not 50%.
Carey Pena: It strikes me that this would be important for people who, a lot of businesses that I come in contact with who are looking to articulate better, articulate their brand message. It’s not clear. It’s very fragmented, because what you’re saying really makes a lot of sense. There is a lot of things going on there. When we are so overcrowded in our heads, and then you ask someone a simple question like, “What is your brand? What is your mission? What is your why?” Which these are all some of the questions when I’m brought in to do consulting or a brand journalism project, I ask those questions. It’s not that the people aren’t smart people. They know their business, but we’re so overcrowded mentally that then we’re not able to produce a clear succinct message.
Coach Dar: Absolutely. You just hit it on the head. That’s exactly what this is all about, and when you simplify you actually make a greater impact, because when you help your clients simplify their message, now when people hear it, it’s clear and it’s effective and they’ll remember it.
Carey Pena: Yes. If people implement these three things, and let’s just review your tips here because we’re throwing out a lot of information, but declutter your place to make space, be decisive in your decision-making, and be a producer, not a consumer. Where will this lead to?
Coach Dar: When you do this you will have more clarity. You’ll actually have greater connection with people. You’ll have more focus. You’ll feel lighter and freer, and you’ll have more fulfillment enjoying your life. You’ll be healthier. As a whole, your company will be healthier when you simplify, your family becomes healthier because you simplified in your connecting more, your relationships. You will find more joy when you simplify.
Carey Pena: What has this done for you? You look amazing, and you did fight a real serious health battle, but I can just see how … You talk about free. You look free, and you look excited about what’s to come.
Coach Dar: It’s really been almost its own transformation for me, because it forced me to have to slow down and simplify things. After the stroke I couldn’t even open up things with my own hands, so I had to simplify how I even did things around the house. But it was in the process that it reignited the fire within me. I’m so passionate about helping people and businesses, and just everyone that I could touch, create better impact, create a stronger impact in this world, but have healthier, happier lives and be more fulfilled.
Coach Dar: This has really helped ignite a fire in me. It’s almost … I’m so passionate about it that there’s more joy in my life, so going through something that hit me hard again, it’s created another fire to be able to go out, back out, and share a message that I hope helps millions of lives.
Carey Pena: It strikes me, Dar, because over the years I’ve done a lot of interviews as a journalist on the news, and also working in the new media space doing podcasts and things. I’ve interviewed quite a few people, more than I would have liked to, who are facing end of life. One common thread that people always say is that, “I wish I would have just stopped to take more time.” There’s nothing more sad in this world than looking at someone whose days are numbered, and they have regrets.
Carey Pena: I worked on a story recently with a beautiful young woman located in Scottsdale here in Arizona, and she’s dying of cancer, and she’s in her 30s, and she has a little girl. She told me, she’s like, “Carey, I really would love for you to share my story because I want people to be inspired by their life.” And what you’re talking about is inspiring.
Coach Dar: Yes.
Carey Pena: Because it is allowing yourself to take time to enjoy life.
Coach Dar: That’s exactly … The hustle is about go, go, go, but where’s the enjoyment of what’s right in front of you? I am so passionate about just saying stop, and I know the expression has been used but, “Stop and smell the roses, but really stop. Breathe. Meditate. Look at what’s right in front of you and be grateful for it.’
Carey Pena: To be clear, you’re not saying, “Don’t try to go for it,” because you’re a big dream kind of person.
Coach Dar: Very much.
Carey Pena: You go out and kick some bootay. You work with big time athletes, so there is no sense of, “Hey, just be mediocre.”
Coach Dar: No.
Carey Pena: That is not the conversation we are having. I just want to make sure that people understand that.
Coach Dar: I don’t even like the word mediocre, and it’s not about settling, but it’s about if you simplify, you will show up better and you’ll be able to hit more home runs in your life. You’re going to … Really, you will fly higher when you simplify because you’ll show up better.
Carey Pena: The people who have been contacting you since you started putting this out there, they’re looking already for you to come in and coach, and I assume that this would be great training in a corporate environment as well.
Coach Dar: Yes.
Carey Pena: Because you’re going to get much healthier employees, right?
Coach Dar: Right. Let’s create a more simplified culture. Let’s streamline processes. Let’s help simplify communications. Let’s declutter the space that you’re in and make it more efficient and simplified. That, on the business standpoint, definitely. If anyone needs help with that I’d be more than happy to help.
Carey Pena: Give them your information.
Coach Dar: If you have social media, the greatest way to reach me is on Instagram or Twitter and the handle is @The, T-H-E, CoachDar, so @TheCoachDar, and you can send me a direct message.
Coach Dar: If you want to hear more about this I’m going to be setting also up an academy where you could take a six week course and go through some things on simplifying, or you could do one-on-one coaching, but go ahead and send me a message and I would be happy to follow up with you.
Carey Pena: You’re ready to light it up.
Coach Dar: Oh, yes.
Carey Pena: It is always so great to have you here. I love the interview, and I love talking to you about these subjects that I know will really help people improve their day-to-day lives, and that is what I care about so much.
Coach Dar: Which I’m grateful that you have this platform, Carey, to be able to share and have myself and others on, because what you’re doing is inspiring so many, and it is effecting lives. I know it helps my life.
Carey Pena: Give us one final thought, something you want the audience to think about as we close out here.
Coach Dar: As you go and you look at this year, just think about how you want to live your best life. Think about how you want to show up and what the impact is, and like Carey said, you don’t want to live with regrets, so think about what it is you could do to start simplifying your day, your life, your space, so that you can have a greater impact.
Carey Pena: It’s a nice feeling when you go to bed at the end of the night, and you worked hard but you managed to create space for yourself so that when you lay down at night, you’re calm.
Coach Dar: Right.
Carey Pena: That’s huge.
Coach Dar: Yes. You’ll be able to sleep better because your head’s not racing.
Carey Pena: I never have trouble with sleep. I lay down, I’m like, “Good night.” I’ll wake up when my twins come in early in the morning, but for now, “Check, please. Peace out.” Thank you so much, Dar.
Coach Dar: Thanks, Carey.
Carey Pena: And thanks for listening, everyone. You can find us online at InspiredMedia360.com and of course, you can always connect with me on Facebook and on Instagram @CareyPena. I do love to hear feedback on all of our shows and content, and I really hope that this show inspires you to live a life that is a little bit simpler, and hopefully happier. Thanks so much for listening.
The post Simplicity Is The New Big: 3 Ways To Simplify Your Life with Coach Darleen Santore appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“Our mission is to change people’s lives by providing the best nutrition, best weight management education, and best products in the world.”
Vince and Tawnya Cline have set lofty goals for themselves, and for the hundreds of people they coach both in person and online.
The Clines have been together for more than 15 years, and went through their own transformational journey as a couple.
Vince Cline, a former college baseball player, says he was walking on the beach in Hawaii when it hit him hard – he needed to lose weight.
He tried various fad diets but nothing worked. That is until someone gave him a program that focused on metabolism.
“Fortunately I met a lady who did something easy for me…. she said follow this and you’ll get results. I lost 12 pounds in two weeks and that’s when I started on this journey.”
Cline realized if a nutrition program focused on metabolism worked so well for him, it would work for others. He began to recreate the program, first for his father and then his father-n-law, and both lost a significant amount of weight.
Tawnya Cline, who didn’t have a weight issue herself, but wanted to become healthier and have more energy, also began following this nutrition program.
The two were so successful that they made nutrition their life’s work, opening up a company called NutritionHead2Toe. http://vtcline.wellnesscoachpro.com/active
Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the couple continued to branch out coaching people both in person and online.
At the core of everything they teach is how to follow a simple eating plan that will boost your metabolism and give you peak life performance.
On this 32 minute episode of Transformation Tuesday, we talk about how to boost metabolism by following three main rules:
(1) Eat within 30 minutes of waking up
(2) Drink half your bodyweight in water every single day
(3) Eat more frequent, smaller meals
The Clines tell us about foods that will help boost your metabolism as well as the ones you should avoid at all costs.
They also talk about how their lives have radically improved since transforming what and when they eat.
“I was on such high levels of prednisone … and I had IBS which was really embarrassing,” Vince Cline says. “Nobody was holding my hand, I just made a decision that it was something I had to do.”
Changing his nutrition, Cline says, allowed him to discontinue all medications, and he explains it cured his irritable bowel syndrome.
For Tawnya Cline, changing her nutrition (first by cutting out cheese, which she used to love), helped her skin to clear up and gave her a massive amount of energy.
The Clines say they have serious concerns about the overall lack of health and well being in our country, and that childhood obesity is at an all time high.
For their part, they are working to make change by inspiring people to take small steps that lead to big results. “Focus on getting one percent better every day,” Vince Cline says. “It’s progress not perfection.”
The post How To Transform Your Metabolism appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Understand your health … empower yourself.
That’s the message Fabrice Dechoux wants people to hear. When you log onto his company’s website those are the first words that come up.
Dechoux is a successful entrepreneur, the Founder of a software company, investor in several popular restaurants including The Gladly in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Founder of Cerulean Advanced Fitness and Wellness: https://www.livecerulean.com/our-story/
He spent a million dollars of his own money to open Cerulean because he believes so strongly that people can be healed from the inside out.
“The body is very powerful. I don’t think we use the resources that exist inside the body,” says Dechoux.
Cerulean Advanced Fitness and Wellness looks at cellular health. With medical-grade testing they provide a foundation for transformation.
Dechoux became interested in cellular health after his daughter, a star tennis player, sustained an injury that wouldn’t heal.
Frustrated with what doctors were telling them, Fabrice Dechoux set out on a journey to find answers – and examine a more holistic approach.
First, they discovered cryotherapy which, Dechoux says, helped immediately.
Cerulean Advanced Fitness and Wellness offers non-invasive medical treatments and exercise options including cryotherapy, cryosauna, compression recovery therapy, and hypobaric adaptive conditioning pod.
On this 46 minute episode of Transformation Tuesday, Dechoux talks about how to reset your approach to health and weight management for life.
He talks to Carey Pena in depth about the 4 biggest obstacles people have and how to overcome them:
(1) Dehydration
Dehydration reduces metabolism and promotes retention of unwanted water weight. If you’re not hydrating your body properly, you won’t see the results you want. Hydration tests allow you to find out your body’s hydration level and ideal daily water intake requirement to help you enable your body to lose body fat effectively.
(2) Inflammation
Similar to dehydration, inflammation makes your body hold onto weight no matter how much you exercise. If you are not proactively taking steps toward understanding the level of inflammation in your body (and taking steps toward reducing it), you are leaving weight loss results on the table and limiting your chance to reach your goals.
(3) Generic “one size fits all” caloric consumption recommendations based on BMI or scale weight
Get your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) marker test will allow you to understand precisely how many calories YOUR body requires on a daily basis, in order to lose the body fat effectively and more importantly, safely.
(4) Generic exercise recommendation
If you’re not exercising in individualized targeted fat-burn heart rate exercise zones defined for YOUR specific body, you won’t get the burn and fat loss that you are looking for. Getting a VO2 max & Anaerobic Threshold fitness performance tests will help you understand your level of fitness and how to optimize your exercise regimen (heart rate exercise zones) for ultimate fat burn based on your body.
Dechoux hopes to expand Cerulean Advanced Fitness and Wellness across the country. Currently, they are located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
For more on Cerulean Advanced Fitness and Wellness visit https://www.livecerulean.com/our-story/
The post How to Better Understand Your Health and Empower Yourself appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Alli Hagerdon and her husband, Pat, welcomed their first child – a beautiful little girl who they named Adeline in September of 2016. Shortly after, Hagerdon noticed a lump while nursing. She believed it was a clogged duct from breastfeeding complications.
In February of 2017, just five months after Adeline was born, 29 year old Alli Hagerdon was diagnosed with Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma (stage IIB, grade 3) and later tested positive for the BRCA1 gene. Sixteen rounds of IV chemotherapy immediately followed.
Although those grueling months of chemo did have an impact, her tumors were unresponsive.
She endured six additional months of oral chemotherapy and ovary removal surgery. On top of this, Hagerdon had a double mastectomy and tumor removal surgery followed by multiple reconstruction surgeries, as well as six weeks of radiation.
In late 2018, more devastating news: Hagerdon was told that tumors in her liver were still not responding to treatment, and she was told to consider Hospice.
She contacted Inspired Media 360 and Carey Pena in hopes of sharing her story of strength and inspiration with a wider audience. And one day, she wants her daughter, Adeline, to see this interview and know that her mother was a warrior.
*Editor’s Note: Inspired Media 360 is sorry to report that Alli Hagerdon lost her brave battle with cancer in February, 2019. Her story touched and inspired tens of thousands of people.
Podcast Transcript Carey Pena: Hi, everyone. I’m Carey Pena. And this is a special edition of our podcast Cary Pena Reports. On this show we interview people who have incredibly inspirational stories to share.
Carey Pena: The woman you are about to meet is facing the unthinkable. She’s been told that she may only have weeks to live. She contacted me and asked me to help her share her story. Not a story of sadness, but a story of strength and inspiration. We talked to her at her home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Here’s that interview.
Carey Pena: I’m here with Alli Hagerdon. Alli, thank you so much for sitting down to do this show.
Alli Hagerdon: Thank you so much for having me, Carey.
Carey Pena: The first thing I wanted to ask you, you’ve been on a rollercoaster that is truly unimaginable. And we’re going to take people through your journey. Why did you want to sit down today?
Alli Hagerdon: It’s important for me to show people that no matter you’re faced with in life, how important it is to carry on and to persevere and keep living. Appreciate every day. Find gratitude in every moment. And really just be thankful for things that you do have.
Carey Pena: You have recently been told that you may only have weeks to live.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: And we’re gonna talk about your journey to now and how you’re facing each day with such strength. And you want to inspire other people through your strength.
Carey Pena: Four years ago, you were getting married in Chicago.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: Take me to that moment and your happiness.
Alli Hagerdon: Four years ago, my husband, who I met on New Year’s Eve, who I’m so fortunate to call my husband, and I got married on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. It was the perfect day, the perfect wedding. Everything I could have ever dreamed of and imagined. We had our family, our friends, everyone there celebrating with us. Just surrounded by love and surrounded by happiness. And it was a wonderful way to start our marriage and our life together.
Carey Pena: Life was good
Alli Hagerdon: Life was great.
Carey Pena: Then you had a little baby.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: Two years ago.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: And she just makes your entire face light up.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: Tell us about her.
Alli Hagerdon: So two years ago, we had a little girl named Adeline, we often call Addi. And you never know how much your heart can love until you’re holding your own little baby in your arms. And there’s no words that can describe the love I have for her and my husband has for her, my parents have for her. And she just brings light and joy to every moment of our day.
Carey Pena: What’s she like?
Alli Hagerdon: She is strong willed. Which they say she gets from me. She is bossy. She’s two now and she definitely knows what she wants. She loves to play with her friends. We have play dates every day. We spend as much time outside as we can because it’s so beautiful here now. And you know, she is just so much fun.
Carey Pena: Only a few short months after she was born, you were diagnosed with cancer.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: How old were you at the time?
Alli Hagerdon: At the time I was 29. So when I was breastfeeding, my baby girl was born in September 1st, 2016. And when I was breastfeeding in October, I felt a little, what felt to me like a clogged milk duct. And I just kind of ignored it. You know, everything was different. Everything was changing. I was a new mom with an infant. I was exhausted.
Alli Hagerdon: And slowly, to me what was a clogged milk duct grew by January to be six centimeters. And even when I went into the doctor, no one was concerned. Nobody had any worries. Everybody said, “You’re young, you’re nursing. No big deal. We’re just gonna go through a routine biopsy, but nothing to worry about.”
Alli Hagerdon: And it wasn’t until that moment they called me on February 8th, 2017. I will never forget. I was nursing my daughter. It was a Friday. And my doctor called me and she said, “You have breast cancer.”
Alli Hagerdon: And I remember dropping Adeline to the couch, collapsing on the floor. And I just, to me that was it. My life was over. I was not expecting to hear those words. I am the opposite of a hypochondriac. I’m always like, “I’m fine. I’ll get through it.” And looking at this beautiful four month old little girl and being told you have cancer in the same breath was just petrifying.
Carey Pena: You’re a fighter.
Alli Hagerdon: I am a fighter.
Carey Pena: So thus began the fight.
Alli Hagerdon: It did begin. And so from that moment, after that, I went and I began my fight. I started with doing fertility before I started my treatment because treatment could harm your chance of pregnancy in the future and that was very important to me, to grow my family one day.
Alli Hagerdon: I went into six months of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is so strong, there were so many days that I couldn’t even get out of bed. I couldn’t turn the TV on. I couldn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t hear noise. Only to be given the news that I had zero response to any of that chemotherapy.
Alli Hagerdon: I then moved on to getting a bilateral mastectomy. I chose from there to do a oophorectomy where they remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes. I did that because during this journey, I learned that I was BRCA1 positive. Something I never knew about myself. Something my family never knew.
Alli Hagerdon: Because everybody asks if your mother had breast cancer, if your grandmother had breast cancer. I inherited my BRCA from my father, so it was big news to me that you could be impacted on your paternal side.
Alli Hagerdon: And so for Adeline, I decided I would take out my ovaries and tubes just so that I could live longer to be with her. I went through 30 rounds of radiation. And by the end of December of 2017, I was told that I made it, I was cancer free. Go on with life. And I had succeeded getting through my one year of treatment. And I was given permission to continue living on.
Carey Pena: What did that feel like? Because previous to the diagnosis and you getting married, you were a superstar teacher. You were even training teachers in Chicago you were so good. I know you’re not bragging here, I’m bragging for you. But you had like the top test scores of any of the teachers of the Chicago area. So you were asked to train what? Hundreds of people there.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes. And so when I was diagnosed with cancer, I left my job in educational consulting. And I really just focused on my treatment and my daughter. But it just felt freeing. It felt freeing. I felt like I could finally live life the way I wanted to.
Alli Hagerdon: That I didn’t have to follow any more rules. That I didn’t have to go in for any more infusions and spend that time away from my daughter. And I just kept asking my doctor, “How can I prevent recurrence?” And the answer kept being, “Exercise.”
Alli Hagerdon: And so I joined Stroller Strides, which is a wonderful community of moms in which I was so loved and supported and embraced. And I worked out with my daughter. Five days a week we went. She loved it. There are play dates after for the kids to play. We’d play on the playground. I felt like I was modeling a healthy lifestyle for her.
Carey Pena: Yeah. You must have felt so much joy.
Alli Hagerdon: I felt so much joy. I felt so much strength physically. I felt so much, I just felt lighter.
Carey Pena: And then Mother’s Day comes.
Alli Hagerdon: Mother’s Day comes. The Friday before Mother’s Day, I went in for my routine checkup with my oncologist.
Carey Pena: Of this year. Mother’s Day of this year.
Alli Hagerdon: Mother’s Day of 2018. Yes.
Alli Hagerdon: Nobody is really looking forward for that routine checkup. But I went in. And my doctor said, “You are doing amazing. You’re working out. You’re so strong. You’re living a healthy lifestyle.” He gave me permission to use the two embryos that my husband and I have and put them in my uterus to grow our family. He was just overjoyed with where I was.
Alli Hagerdon: And I spent the weekend with this smile plastered on my face because I was finally gonna get to be what I considered normal again. I was gonna get to be mom that got to grow their family, that had the opportunity to make those choices.
Alli Hagerdon: And the Monday after Mother’s Day, I received a call from my oncologist telling me that my tumor markers, which they test through my blood, were through the roof. He put, called everything off. The reconstruction surgery I was supposed to have that week, the embryos, everything. And we did scans on Tuesday to learn that I had 15 tumors in my lungs, 15 tumors in my liver, two in my brain and also growing on my bones.
Carey Pena: It seems incomprehensible how you even begin to digest that news.
Alli Hagerdon: It, when you hear something like that, especially after having an appointment like I did where we celebrated how well I was doing, I couldn’t even wrap my head around that this was me.
Alli Hagerdon: Because how could the same body that just taught themselves how to run five miles who has never run before, and the same body who had the strength to work out five days a week, and how could that body be so filled with cancer?
Alli Hagerdon: It was so beyond my ability to comprehend at first. It, recurrence was always a fear of mine. But never did I think that I would only be given months of being cancer free before becoming stage four metastatic. And they told me then that, “You have two years to live.”
Carey Pena: And then that brings us to today.
Alli Hagerdon: So from May until now I have been on every standard form of treatment that there is. I have been on what’s called a PARP inhibitor. I have been through so much radiation. I have done immunotherapy. I have done off study risky trials. I have been willing to fight in any way that I could to be here and alive and on this earth for Adeline.
Alli Hagerdon: Only to reach the point today where, while my lungs have stabilized and my brain is doing better and my bones are not a bother to me, my liver just keeps growing and growing and growing to the point where I have started to lose my liver function. Which excludes me from research studies.
Alli Hagerdon: And two weeks ago, I was given one more dose of a new chemotherapy. And the doctor said to me, “This is it. If this doesn’t work, you have weeks to live.” Not knowing if I could believe that, I went to a different doctor for a second opinion this week. And I was told the same thing. “You will have a couple weeks to live, or possible a couple years. And we will know in a week or two.”
Alli Hagerdon: But I have been forced to plan my memorial. I have been forced to sit down with a lawyer and clearly state everything that I want in my upcoming death. And been forced to do things that I could never have imagined as a 31 year old mother of a two year old, I would have to be faced with.
Carey Pena: Tell everyone what it is that you said to me. I wrote down your quote. That you learned about the difference between pain and suffering.
Alli Hagerdon: So what I’ve learned through this is there takes a certain amount of emotional tolerance to deal with the pain that I face every day, the emotional pain. The knowledge of my cancer, the knowledge of my lifespan. And that pain is pain that I have learned to tolerate. The pain that is intolerable is the pain that’s suffering. And suffering is something that I bring on myself.
Alli Hagerdon: Suffering is when I go to the park and I see my friend who’s pregnant with their second child. And all I want is to be healthy and to be pregnant and to give Adeline a sibling. And I go into the, “Why don’t I get that? Why can’t it be me who’s healthy and pregnant and growing my family? Why is that time being taken away from me?” That is the suffering.
Alli Hagerdon: And so what I have taught myself to do is to stop wanting the things that I cannot have. And to appreciate the things that I do have. And so when I go to the park and I see my friends who are all pregnant with their second children, growing their families, I look at Adeline and I’m so thankful that I have her.
Alli Hagerdon: And so instead of causing myself to suffer and focusing on a child that I will not be able to have, I focus on this just amazing blessing of opportunity I have to be a mother to the most wonderful girl. Because that I am truly thankful for. And that is how I prevent my suffering.
Carey Pena: What do you want her to know about you?
Alli Hagerdon: I want her to know that I will never stop fighting for her. That every day I get out of bed, I do it for her. And that if they tell me in two weeks it’s time to go into hospice, I’m not going. I will go on. I will find a doctor. I will find a treatment. And I will keep fighting because I am a warrior and I will never stop fighting for her.
Carey Pena: You have been blogging a bit on Facebook and you have a caring bridge. And people have been reaching out to you discovering your words. And people write to you. And people who don’t have cancer, who aren’t sick, and telling you that your fight, your journey, has inspired them to live differently. I know that’s important to you. You want to inspire people to truly appreciate what they have.
Alli Hagerdon: So important because I think in life, especially in today’s society where things are so fast paced and moving so quickly and there’s so much pressure for this success, that how often do you take a breath? Do you take a pause? Do you look around you?
Alli Hagerdon: Do you see what you have and do you say, “Wow. I am so thankful that I have this right now. I’m living life with gratitude today. Because I am so appreciative to have this wonderful spouse. To have this wonderful family. To have these wonderful friends that just love on me and support me unconditionally. To have a job that I love to do. To live in an area that I love. To have a hobby that I get joy from doing.”
Alli Hagerdon: I think that before I had cancer, I didn’t take the time that I should have to pause and be thankful and be appreciative and live my life with gratitude. And I wish that I did. Because you’re really missing out on living when you don’t take the time to appreciate what it is in life that you do have.
Carey Pena: Tomorrow or in the coming days, you guys are going to Disneyland.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes, yes.
Carey Pena: How are you making that happen?
Alli Hagerdon: You know, you just, you power through. You make it happen because I have an opportunity to go. I’m still here and I’m still alive. And so I’m gonna live and I am going to make memories. And I’m gonna go with my parents, with my husband, with my brother, with my daughter. And we’re gonna go take her to Disneyland for the first time. And we’re going to, I mean to me, my favorite part of those experiences is watching the joy on her face and how much fun she has.
Alli Hagerdon: And then we’re gonna take her to the ocean. And the ocean to me is so therapeutic. And so calming. And if I’m tired, I’m tired. I’m not gonna stop. Because if I stopped every time I was tired, I would never do anything. And so you figure out how to get through the day. You figure out how to enjoy every moment. And you do it because you can.
Alli Hagerdon: Because I am so thankful to be alive today, to be alive tomorrow. To be alive over the weekend when we’re gonna go on our trip. I am so thankful for that opportunity to live. And I am going to use every moment of that time to live the best that I can with my family.
Carey Pena: You have a great family.
Alli Hagerdon: A wonderful family.
Carey Pena: Who absolutely adore you.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: Great brother. And your husband.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes.
Carey Pena: You said that there are three lessons you really want to make sure that your daughter always knows. To be strong, to be tolerant, and to be kind.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes. I think that is so important. And I want her to know this from this interview when she’s older and she listens to it. That there are days and there are things that we’re faced with. It might not be terminal illness. But things that come up in life, at school, at work. Where you think, “How am I gonna get through this? This is impossible.”
Alli Hagerdon: And really nothing is impossible. You get through it by working as hard as you possibly can. And by persevering. You’ve put on your warrior hat and you lift your head up high and you put a smile on your face no matter how you feel, and you get through it.
Alli Hagerdon: And the second part of being tolerant is, you know, I feel like we live in a world that’s so filled with intolerance. And it, to me, there’s no excuse to be intolerant of others. I want my daughter to know to love and to accept and to welcome people, no matter their differences, no matter if they’re the same, they’re different. No matter how they’re different. Everybody is a human being and a person and deserves to be treated that way.
Alli Hagerdon: Which leads me to the last piece, which I always taught my first graders more than anything. Is that there’s nothing mort important than being kind. My mom always told me that love beholds love. And I learned that all of the love that I’ve given out through all of these years, I see it now coming back to me. I see that lesson coming to life.
Alli Hagerdon: My kindness, my tolerance has now provided me with a support network of people. Not just my wonderful family, my wonderful friends, my Arizona friends, my Chicago friends. Strangers that find me through my blog. And I am just filled with love and kindness.
Alli Hagerdon: And I truly believe it’s because that’s what I put out there. And so it’s so important to put out that tolerant kindness, that love to everybody you meet. Because they can feel it and it touches them. You know? And one day, they’re gonna return that feeling back to you. And even if they don’t, you get to walk away knowing you’ve given that to somebody else.
Carey Pena: What do you want people to learn from your story?
Alli Hagerdon: I want people to learn that nothing can stop me. And if nothing can stop me in this situation, nothing can stop them. There is always a way to carry on. There is always a way to pick your head up and keep fighting. That life is life. And the universe is out of our control. But the only thing we can control is ourselves.
Alli Hagerdon: And we can control ourselves and move forward. We have the choice of laying in bed and not getting out. We have the choice of crying and whining and complaining and moaning. Or we have the choice of lifting up our head, putting a smile on our face, and carrying on. And that if I can do that after being told on Monday that I may only have two more weeks of life, anybody can do that.
Carey Pena: Are you scared?
Alli Hagerdon: I’m scared for my family. I’m scared for the grief they will feel when I am gone. I am, been trying to put everything in place for them to make it as easy for them as possible when I do pass. But I know that I will be in a better place. But they’re the ones who will be stuck here grieving.
Carey Pena: You told me that you feel so grateful for the beautiful life that you have lived and that you continue to live.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes. I mean I’m so grateful to have had so many experiences. So many experiences that have allowed me to make a difference. From teaching in Chicago at a Title One school to teaching teachers to being a mother and teaching my daughter. You know. And to starting a nonprofit where we mentored other young women going through similar journeys as our own.
Alli Hagerdon: I am so grateful to have had the opportunity in life to help others grow and learn. And to me that’s what it’s about. It’s how can you help others? How can you make a difference in other people’s lives? And even through my pain today, it’s okay that I’m feeling this pain as long as I know that it’s making a difference to somebody else.
Alli Hagerdon: Because the pain is worth it if it’s able to help just one person. If there’s just one person who watches this who says, “Wow. You know, I’ve been really down. But tomorrow I’m gonna try to get out of bed, take a shower, get out of the house, face the world.” Then the pain I’m feeling is worth it because it’s helping somebody else.
Carey Pena: I want to thank you so much for your incredible courage in sitting down, sharing your story. And your authenticity and your genuine spirit. And I know, speaking for myself, for everyone who watches and listens to this, we are all just loving on you.
Alli Hagerdon: Thank you.
Carey Pena: Loving on you.
Alli Hagerdon: Thank you, Carey.
Carey Pena: And we’re gonna continue on following Alli’s story and we’ll be posting your blogs and your vlogs. I’m teaching her how to vlog.
Alli Hagerdon: Yes (laughing).
Carey Pena: And we’ll be putting all of that on our website, inspiredmedia360tv.com. Thanks for listening.
The post My Genuine Journey: Alli Hagerdon’s Fight For Life appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Finishing up sophomore year at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, Kainoa Spenser was about to face the fight of his life.
The International Affairs major woke up one day not feeling well. The next day he passed out. Believing that he was just exhausted from finals, Spenser tried to power through.
He flew home to Arizona and was immediately rushed to HonorHealth. His organs were failing.
He explains that he was transferred to Mayo Hospital where doctors put Spenser into a medically induced coma. Necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, ended up leading to the amputation of Spenser’s legs and hands.
“When I got out of the hospital a little over a year ago I was connected immediately with Kyle Maynard. He was born with congenital amputations. Seeing how he was able to transform that tragedy into something that is inspiring to all, and has radically improved his life and lives around the world, was cool to see. How he was able to turn his pain into … purpose,” Spenser explains.
On our Carey Pena Reports Podcast, Spenser told his story alongside his Trainer and Coach, Jesse Holland. The two met after Spenser spoke at an event for K2 Adventures, for which Holland is a Mountain Guide.
They began to chart a course for Spenser’s recovery. “Kainoa often shows me and everybody what we can do. That we are not a victim,” Holland says.
The first objective for Kainoa was to get back to holding a golf club and to have enough stamina to be able to swing. He met and surpassed that goal over the past year, having golfed in two tournaments.
Now, Kainoa Spenser is joining K2 Adventures and Jesse Holland on a trip to Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest mountain. It’s located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park, part of the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.
“Improving your mental health starts with improving your physical health,” Spenser says of his ongoing recovery and the lofty physical goals he has set for himself.
All along, the community has rallied around Kainoa Spenser and his family using the hashtag #LiveLikeKainoa
While he has had overwhelming support, there have been many dark days. And he allows himself the mental space to be depressed – with an end date.
“Nothing is wrong with having those (dark days), but the best part is knowing that it’s going to end. And setting the end date,” Spenser explains. “You can feel bad for yourself, and eat the worst food for yourself, and watch all the movies you want, and sit on the couch, but know on Monday when you wake up, that that’s the end and you are moving forward.”
Kainoa serves as inspiration to the Arizona community where he now lives and to the Seton Hall community in New Jersey where he previously went to school, but also for people all over the world who have discovered his story.
Around his neck, Kainoa Spenser wears a Tree of Life Intention Stick, created by Valley residents Scott and Marla Berger. Inside the necklace, Spenser puts his words of intention and that’s where he keeps his focus.
Also, he has his faith.
“I have a major connection with God,” Spenser shares. “And he allows me, and my faith truly allows me to have that first breath of … it’s going to be okay. There’s something greater for this purpose and you have to find those motivating factors outside of yourself.”
https://k2adventures.org/
http://kyle-maynard.com/
https://yourscottsdalecoach.com/
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“I want to keep all of the nutrition in my food that helps to heal from the inside out, and my body can use those tools for its own repair process.”
It took 25 years for Raw Food Chef and Author Haley Cloud to learn how to heal. Once she did, her life was transformed.
“There is a new wave of consciousness coming through our culture. There is more to life than just surviving … you can thrive based on what you put in your body,” Cloud says. “There is hope to be had. A lot of us who have been sick most of our lives… don’t always have the type of hope necessary to make change.”
As a child, Cloud says she was sickly all of the time. “It started out as chronic bronchitis that evolved into asthma. “By the time I was 24 years old I was on 13 medications a day,” Cloud explains. She also had trouble controlling her weight. By age 25, she tipped the scale at 250 pounds.
It all came crashing down one day when she went to walk her daughter around the block. What should have been a short walk, Cloud says, took her 45 minutes. She didn’t have her inhaler, so when Cloud collapsed, she had to crawl home next to her toddler.
That was the breaking point.
She sought help from a friend who gave her a book about healing your health through a raw food and vegan diet.
The results were stunning.
Cloud ended up losing over 100 pounds, but more than that, she slowly weaned herself off of each and every medication.
Today Haley Cloud is an author, having written 14 books loaded with her own raw food recipes, and she’s a personal coach to others who seek to change their health.
In this 37 minute episode, she shares with our listeners:
(1) The steps she took to find freedom from illness
(2) What she eliminated from her diet
(3) A few of her most popular recipes
(4) A few favorite cooking tips including the blender she loves most https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/
(5) How she pushed through the hard times to get where she is today
Her company is called “Raw By Grace” because she feels that she was saved from a life of sickness and depression – now she’s dedicated herself to helping others do the same. If and when they are ready.
“There’s a point in your brain where you don’t want to believe that change is possible because that takes work,” Cloud says. “Working toward something beneficial has to be more powerful than where you are.”
To learn more about Raw Food Chef and Author Haley Cloud’s books and recipes, visit https://www.livingrawbygrace.com/
The post Healing From The Inside Out with Raw Food Chef Haley Cloud appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Success does not have to come at the expense of my own well being.
I can be healthy, happy and successful.
Slowing down is not weakness.
Being willing to see things differently is okay.
My career doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s.
Tanya Wheeless is the former CEO of the Arizona Bankers Association (a job she had at age 27!) and an Executive with the Phoenix Suns.
She left those high powered and high profile jobs after burnout began taking over.
Then she made a drastic life change.
“Mostly I’ve … changed what I count as success,” Wheeless explains. “Success does not have to come at the expense of my own well being. I can be healthy, happy and successful. Slowing down is not weakness. Being willing to see things differently is okay. My career doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s.”
Since leaving her corporate jobs, Wheeless launched a company called Happy Grace. https://www.happygrace.com/
She works as an Executive Life Coach and helps people, mainly women, organize and strategize what success means to them.
One of her mentors and coaches, Martha Beck https://marthabeck.com/blog/, once shared words of wisdom that stayed with Tanya Wheeless to this day. “You have to go through the ring of fire to come out the other side.”
In this 40 minute interview, we talk about how to have what Wheeless calls conscious ambition:
(1) Be decisive and collaborative
(2) Hustle AND flow
(3) Be analytical and creative
(4) Less push more allowing
(5) Treat yourself like you treat your most important client
Wheeless says, “If you want a different life, decide to make it different.”
For more on Tanya Wheeless you can visit https://www.facebook.com/MyHappyGrace/
https://www.instagram.com/myhappygrace/
The post Conscious Ambition with Tanya Wheeless appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Kirk Nurmi gained the national spotlight when he was appointed to represent convicted boyfriend killer Jodi Arias. “I got a lot of death threats,” Nurmi explains. “I became high profile and famous overnight in a situation where I wasn’t seeking it out, I was just trying to do my job. My appointed job.”
At that point, he’d been practicing law for 15 years. So, it came as a bit of a shock – even to him – that he wanted out.
“It felt like it was something more powerful. A message from my heart telling me it was time to chart a new course.” At first he chalked it up to burnout. Then, a health scare made him realize a total life change was necessary and urgent.
“I found inflammation in my lymph node under my armpit,” Nurmi shares. “Healthy blood cells turning into unhealthy blood cells and I knew right away it was the stress of it all.”
After being diagnosed with stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer that originates in your lymphatic system, Nurmi had to face some tough decisions.
“I went to a dark place,” Nurmi says. “Do I really want to go through chemotherapy? Do I really want to do this? At 49 years old I never thought about my mortality.”
It was at that moment Nurmi changed his life. He went forward with the chemo and underwent a total mind and body transformation.
He began writing books, and launched a website www.unchainedlives.com
On the site, Nurmi writes:
“Helping you unchain yourself and DEFENDING YOUR GREATNESS is my new mission. I do this mainly through sharing my personal story in keynote speeches, however, I also work as a life coach for select individuals who want to unchain themselves from the ties that bind them so that they can reconnect with and DEFEND THEIR GREATNESS.”
In this Transformation Tuesday interview, we talk about HOW he unchained himself and defended his greatness. He takes us through each of the 5 following steps:
(1) Taking care of yourself
(2) Making Happiness A Priority
(3) Following Your Heart
(4) Defying convention by exploring the road less traveled
(5) Restraining your mental martyr
Nurmi also shares details about how he lost over 80 pounds and now experiences much greater overall health and happiness.
He is a voracious reader and follows heart-centered leaders like Kyle Cease https://kylecease.com/ who he credits with helping on the journey to now.
And what a journey it has been.
“If we don’t feel worthy of whatever greatness we have inside of us, we aren’t going to pursue it,” Nurmi shares. “Sometimes it’s hard to understand the vibrational level that we are in, when we are in it. One of the things i thought about when I was in the chemo chair, it was really about how I spent the last 6-12 months of my life. And I asked myself that question… was I happy with how I spent that time in my life? And the answer was no. But the answer today is yes.”
The post Defending Your Greatness with Kirk Nurmi appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Amanda Coe was a fast rising star in the Canadian business world having worked for the Canadian Federal Government in her 20’s. But then a mysterious health crisis sidelined her.
Coe became extremely ill and was bedridden for months. “That really cut me off at the knees,” she says.
It turned out she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a bowel disease that left her with severe cramps, nausea, bleeding, and, at times, incontinence. “I had some dark moments,” Coe confesses. “And I thought if this is life, is it really worth living?”
After more than a year dealing with this painful disease, Coe began her road back to health. The right medication combined with some major changes on the lifestyle front forced the disease into remission.
Then Coe decided to make a major change in her business life as well turning to the health and wellness industry. She wanted to be part of the solution.
“Often times it is our own health stories that drives us into the fitness industry,” she says explaining how she decided to buy into The Exercise Coach franchise in Scottsdale, Arizona.
In this interview we talk about why muscle matters and how building muscle helped her come back after being weak and bedridden.
“Studies show strength resistance training can add up to seven years to your life expectancy, “ she shares. “As we age we lose muscle mass. Over the age of 30, the average adult will lose 5-7 pounds of muscle every decade. Only way to maintain that strength or reverse muscle loss is resistance training.
She also had to clean up her diet. Coe only eats anti inflammatory foods and, for her, that means no gluten, dairy, sugar or beans.
“I implemented this change in eating a decade ago and that is what keeps me on track,” Coe explains. “The second I veer off and incorporate those foods into my diet I have a serious digestive disorders.”
This powerful and painful health journey made Amanda Coe want to be an advocate for others. Now, in her 40’s, she is a thriving business owner and a first time mom.
“We can take control of our health and we can live our optimal life. It means taking action,” she shares. “But there are opportunities in exercise and nutrition that are non invasive, non surgical that can truly help us live our optimal lives.”
The Exercise Coach has 50 locations open and operating across the country. Their mission statement is: Strength Changes Everything. http://exercisecoach.com/
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Fitness Expert Tiffany Lee Gaston is all about transformation. She has done it for herself, and now she’s doing it for others. “I really want to see people’s success. That’s what makes me tick.”
Gaston is an author (her first book is From Broken To Badass), speaker, and nationally known fitness expert and model. Since people are always inquiring about how she stays so fit, even as a mom to three kids, she decided to create a course to share knowledge about what has worked well for her.
The course is called Awaken The Badass!
On this episode of Transformation Tuesday, we outline her 5 top tips to transforming and awakening the best badass version of yourself.
(1) Nutrition is key
Gaston lives a paleo lifestyle For her, that led to higher energy levels, smoother skin and better sleep. She allows herself one to three open (or cheat) meals per week. In this interview we dive deeper into what and how she eats.
Also, she does intermittent fasting. For Gaston, it is all about intuitive eating and listening to her body. “There are a lot of ways to cross the finish line,” she says.
Helping her cross the finish line is Bulletproof coffee https://www.bulletproof.com/ She drinks a cup each morning with grass fed butter and XCT oil.
(2) Track your meals
“A lot of people are frustrated but they don’t know what they are consuming,” Gaston explains. On average, she consumes about 1800 calories a day. And she pays attention to the macro count in all of her food. As a tool to help us keep track, she recommends My Fitness Pal https://www.myfitnesspal.com/
(3) Exercise alone will not get you the results you desire
“Everyone should strive to move their body every day,” Gaston says. But she emphasizes how important it is to find out what exercise is right for you. She loves running, but for others it might be yoga, pilates, lifting weights. Gaston approaches fitness as a lifestyle. In her new course she helps people strike a balance where they can get results without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.
(4) No one type of diet works for everyone
This is a point that Gaston wants all of her followers to really stop and think about. Having suffered from eating disorders and extreme dieting in her past, she has found a much better way to manage weight – but even more important, maintain health.
(5) Mix it up
Changing your routine every 4 to 6 weeks keeps your muscles memory guessing. We talk about how to do this effectively. Also, Gaston practices daily meditation and personal development to help her stay focused and evolving. She is always trying to function at her own personal capacity.
“Believe in yourself,” she says. “Believe that you are capable of hard things. And chase your passion. Nobody should tell you that you can’t.”
#AwakenTheBadass
We hope you enjoy this episode! And to hear our previous interview with Tiffany Lee Gaston about her book “From Broken To Badass”, you can visit https://inspiredmedia360tv.com/from-broken-to-badass-featuring-tiffany-lee-gaston-cover-model-and-author/
- Editor’s note: During this interview, Gaston refers to 90’s supermodel Nikki Taylor having passed away. This was a misstatement. Gaston was referring to Taylor’s sister, Krissy, who died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1995 of a rare, undiagnosed heart condition – aged just 17.
The post Awaken The Badass: Fitness Expert Tiffany Lee Gaston appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Angela Harrolle talks with Carey Pena about the hit podcast, “The Call”, and how it is helping humanize what First Responders go through every single day. Almost 10 years ago, her husband, DPS Officer/Paramedic Bruce Harrolle, died while trying to rescue two lost and stranded hikers near Sedona. Today Angela continues to honor his memory by launching this podcast.
“The Call” was recently honored by Phoenix New Times as one of the best podcasts.
Angela is president of 100 Club of Az and host of “The Call”. Allie Nassar is the podcast producer and so much more. Both Angela and Allie are dedicated to bringing to life the deeply personal stories told by First Responders beyond “The Call”.
Ten years ago, Angela’s husband was at work on just another regular 24-hour shift as a DPS Officer. She was at home, getting her young children ready for bed, when her daughter said there was someone at their door. On this beautiful October day, Angela saw a DPS flight suit flanked by several smoky hats. She knew it couldn’t be good. Her husband, Bruce Harrolle, had been struck by the helicopter rotor blade and fatally injured during the rescue of the two hikers.
The unimaginable had happened. Angela never believed she would have to plan a funeral for her husband or tell her children that their daddy was not coming home.
Known as a big story teller, Bruce had kept records of his stories, and Angela wanted to share these stories with the community. Stories people would want to hear.
Allie’s father is a retired Phoenix firefighter, and her husband is joining Arizona Fire and Medical. The 100 Club of AZ had helped put Allie through college. Upon graduation, she didn’t know what she wanted to do next. She went back to 100 Club where she interned and met Angela, who offered her a job. A podcast “geek”, Allie was instrumental in bringing “the Call” to fruition which gave her an opportunity to help Angela bring the stories to life.
“The Call” is a podcast whose mission is telling the stories of First Responders. Stories that never get shared. Be it a life altering situation for a community member, something inspirational they did, or even something scary, the stories get told from their own perspective. Angela and Allie have interviewed a Phoenix PD officer shot in line of duty and completed a series on the Miranda Rights featuring Carol Cooley, who was the arresting officer behind the Miranda case.
Allie said that growing up her dad seemed invincible. He had stories he shared, but it was through the stories he told on “The Call” she learned what his career had been like. She heard, for the first time, about a roof that had collapsed while he was alone on the third floor of a club, fighting a dangerous fire, when he thought he was going to die. Through these insane stories she realized that her father and other First Responders aren’t invincible.
Both Angela and Allie knew that a podcast was a great way to humanize the work the First Responders do every day by telling their stories.
As President of the 100 Club, Angela has concerns for the mental health of all First Responders. Her goal is that through storytelling, “The Call” podcast, and the work done by the 100 Club, support can be provided. She goes on to say, “We are the men and women that stand behind the men and women that wear the badge.”
Angela explains that First Responders cannot have a bad day when they show up for a call. Instead, they continually carry the weight of their experiences on their shoulders. And it can accumulate
Angela is proud of the 100 Club and the outlets they provide for both the physical injuries you can see and those injuries that are not seen, like PTSD. The 100 Club offers great resources like Bulletproof.org, a 24-7 support line dedicated to public safety officers with specially trained call takers.
DPS officers, especially law enforcement, are often sent out on their own, with no one to talk to. They go from call to call with no time to decompress. Angela goes on to say that not only is it important for them to decompress, but it is important for the family to have support as well. The goal is to have online health and wellness tools available to them all.
One story Angela shares is about her husband’s close friend and colleague, who was asked to fly up to the rescue site after her husband’s death and put his friend’s body in the body bag. Afterwards, he kept checking on Angela to see how she was doing. This officer, an honor guard, would let Angela know he was okay and that everything was good. Yet just two years later, he took his own life. Sometimes everything they have to do and see is too much. First Responders are human.
Angela acknowledges the community. People want to help. So, she reminds us to just say “Thank You”.
The post Beyond the Call: First Responders Share Their Stories appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Nationally award-winning business owner, author, speaker and small business coach, Bella Vasta, is here to share her story about taking back control of her life and business after tragedy struck. Now she teaches other people all over the world how they can set up their own business to survive.
“Be a leader in your own life, your family life and then your business life”.
Upon graduating from college, Bella’s parents wanted her to get a ‘real job’. She was hired at a huge corporation, but couldn’t stand the training, so she quit after two weeks. While working part time at Starbucks, for the health benefits, she went on to build a six-figure pet sitting business. Two years later she applied for some national awards in her industry and won. When people started coming to her asking how she did it, what they should do as a business owner, it opened a door for her as a business coach.
And Bella believes in walking through all the doors.
She met her husband, Alex, in 2012 on Match.com at age 32. They honeymooned in Rome and came home to find out they were pregnant. Within months, the doctors gave her news that changed her life. Bella was told her baby was not growing. She said every doctor they consulted told her something different. They even tried to scare her out of having the baby, but Bella insisted her child would survive. She chose not to abort saying she felt so close to God at that time.
“It was the most beautiful and scary time ever”.
Olivia was the smallest baby born in Arizona. Her daughter was just 12 ounces at birth. She measured 10 inches in length, shorter than a Barbie Doll. Bella said it was after her daughter’s birth that her dreams came crashing down. She couldn’t hold her, breast feed her, and was told by the hospital staff not to get too attached.
But Olivia survived.
When Bella took her daughter home, she also brought home a great deal of trauma. She started a very dark phase in her life. Bella gained a lot of weight. She suffered from what she believed was PTSD. Her darkness affected all those around her, her husband, her family. She was not getting out of bed and didn’t want to go out of town to celebrate her anniversary.
Finally, Bella decided, “Enough is enough”.
It was then she started holding herself accountable by talking about her tragedy. She is now on the national stage sharing her own story and exciting other business owners, speaking and counseling so they can survive.
She believes if you are going to have a successful business, and something tragic happens, you will want to step aside. But are you ready? She challenges business owners if their business is strong enough to run without them. As a business owner, Bella shares with others the tools needed to be prepared.
“Don’t let your business eat you alive”.
It’s all about balance. She cautions owners not to let their business burn them out. If you do, your family will resent you. She says it is important to first take care of yourself, your own life, and then your business.
After struggling with her tragedy for three years, Bella was introduced to EMDR therapy, a treatment for handling trauma that she says has a huge success rate. Bella feels this therapy helped her get rid of her “emotional hangover”. She explains how it has allowed her to learn to filter her trauma and get rid of the nightmares. She has been able to go back to the hospital and have “happy moments”. She feels she is now able to talk about her trauma and not get overwhelmed. EMDR has given Bella the ability to “stand in that power”.
Her daughter has taught her that “I don’t know where I’m going”, but Bella knows she is okay.
Today she feels amazing. Bella feels she is exactly where she should be. Everything she has gone through has helped her get where she is, and now she wants to inspire other business owners. Bella wants us to remember there is a person behind the business, and she wants to address the person, and their mental health and their mental being.
Her favorite quote is, “always keep jumping”, which means you keep going even when you don’t want to.
Bella has gained perspective through her tragedy. She has gained appreciation for life. She will never get upset when her daughter gets her up at 5:15 in the morning. Bella just remembers she was able to bring her baby home.
She feels she went through this for a reason and she says, “I want to be able to be a light, or an encouragement, or a connector for anyone that might need it”.
The post How To Overcome An Emotional Hangover appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Joelle Hadley is the founder and president of The Culture Coaches and travels the country helping to create more positive and productive workplaces where people love their work and love their lives.
Yes, it is possible to love your work and embrace the people around you!
Hadley created a popular course called “Lead Like A Genius” where she explores the greatest secrets of one of the greatest leaders of all time, Leonardo da Vinci.
Revered for his technological ingenuity, da Vinci conceptualized flying machines, a type of armored fighting vehicle, concentrated solar power, and quite a bit more. Hadley, upon reading more about da Vinci, was moved by his fearlessness, ingenuity, and leadership qualities, all of which made him pure genius.
“One day I sat down and read it and was so enamored with what this man did and how multidimensional he was,” Hadley explains.
How can we all tap into that kind of higher mindset and how does it help us become happier and more successful?
In this episode, Hadley teaches us what students in her lectures and workshops learn. She shares her top five tips about how to transform and lead like a genius.
- Learn to identify your own personal values.
- Discover your natural talents and gifts and create a purpose statement when times are tough.
- Learn empowering language skills.
- Learning to deal with difficult things.
- Time management
She recommends asking yourself the following questions:
- How do I want to show up in the world?
- How do I want to be remembered?
And she talks about what is known as The Leonardo trick:
- You have to be curious about life.
- You have to ask a lot of questions.
“Value is a belief system that is so strong that it drives your behaviors and habits every day,” Hadley says.
What do you value? If being a strong leader and creating a positive work environment for yourself and others is important, listen to this podcast and hear what Joelle Hadley has to say about how to transform and lead like a genius.
The post How To Transform and Lead Like A Genius With Joelle Hadley appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Marla Berger leads a movement called “The Tree of Life” and works to help people become more intentional in the way they think about and approach life.
In this episode, she talks about the revelations in her own life that allowed her to open her mind and live a higher level of purpose.
And she shares three things that you can do right now to manifest the power of your own thinking:
(1) Erase the thoughts that no longer serve you
(2) Begin to think intentional thoughts to move toward the life that you desire
(3) Find freedom from worry and stress
“It’s incredible and extremely powerful,” Berger tells us.
“I’ve had some moments where I’ve needed to be in silence myself. It’s so powerful to see the healing in front of you. I never knew it was possible. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.”
She shares some of her own daily practices that help her to live in the moment and intentional.
Every day, she walks outside and reminds herself to be grateful that there is abundance all around.
“I meditate. And that gives me time to connect with myself, that stillness.”
One of the big points of focus in this interview is the importance of letting go of the past and living in the right now.
Berger asks us to consider, “when we can open the door inward and take a look at ourselves, we will have a better understanding of who we are. If you don’t open the door and you leave it closed, isn’t that just a wall?”
Also, we share some of Berger’s recommended reading to help in your transformational journey including:
Victor Frankl’s “Man Searching for Meaning” https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X Anita Moorjani
“What If This Is Heaven?” https://www.hayhouse.com/what-if-this-is-heaven-paperback
To find out more about Marla and Scott Berger and the Tree of Life Movement: https://inspiredmedia360tv.com/can-necklace-change-life https://inspiredmedia360tv.com/arizona-couple-become-advisors-royal-family-changing-world https://www.intentionstick.org
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Years of abuse on the body, extreme dieting, extreme training not really thinking about the body from the inside out left fitness pro Felicia Romero in a dark place.
“I think there were times in my life where the stress, depression, anxiety was so severe it triggered all of these issues.”
Romero suffered severe bloating, stomach pains, and always found herself to be fatigued. What she describes as the tired and wired syndrome.
“I remember waking up in the morning and thinking … I would give anything just to feel normal and healthy. Just to feel good mentally and manage my anxiety and depression.”
In this episode, Romero talks about how she figured out that many of the problems she was having could be traced to her gut. And she shares the 5 steps she took to fix it.
(1) Adding a probiotic to your daily regimen
(2) Do not abuse antibiotics
(3) Fermented foods
(4) Reduce stress levels
(5) Eat less refined sugar
“Virtually 80% of your mental state and happiness is controlled by how healthy your gut is.” Romero shares.
With this interview she hopes to give people the specific tools to take power back in their life.
She goes into each of the 5 steps in detail and also outlines foods that have helped her along the way.
And some recommended reading from Felicia:
“The Owners Manual To You” by Dr. Oz – https://www.doctoroz.com/book/you-owners-manual Books by Tim Ferris: https://tim.blog/tim-ferriss-books
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When it comes to finances, people need a step by step how to transform. And that is Alisa Glutz’s mission.
“We are not here to pay bills and die,” Glutz says.
In this episode, we outline 6 steps to help you transform using Glutz’s “Color My Credit” method. It’s a method that she teaches nationwide and has written a book about.
(1) Color your bank statements
Pull up your bank statement and categorize with your priorities. Assign a color to each category. Assign one category that are the things you could probably live without.
(2) Figure out your priorities
(3) Pave the path to your perfect credit score
–Designate a “gIve back” card. One card assigned to giving back monthly
–Designate a “be present card”.
(4) Pay your future self
(5) Find an accountability partner
(6) Create a legacy
Glutz says when it comes to finances we get too caught up in the past. She encourages people to go forward.
“The only one that is ever gonna fix it is you,” she says. “As you open your eyes and go through the process of coloring this bank statement, it can be a game changer.”
You gotta start today!
The post Six Simple Habits To Transform Your Finances appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
This show is all about shifting our perspective and gaining mental strength.
It’s a choice every day how we show up. From the moment you wake up, that story is being written for who you are.
In this episode, well known speaker and coach Darleen Santore tells us the ways we can transform mentally and awaken greatness. This is how she works with her own clients to help them reach peak performance.
“The greatest thing you can do is hold yourself accountable. It’s emotional intelligence,” says Santore. “It’s a choice every day how we show up. Show up and make a difference.”
Santore shares with us the same lessons she shares with her clients from around the country:
- Identify what is important
- Mentally cleanse
- Think about what you are grateful for
- Do what you are called to do
- Get on the other side of fear.
Darleen gets specific about how we work through each of these steps.
Also, she talks about the vital importance of:
(1) Meditation
The research is abundant on meditation and the benefits of it. It allows you to show up in a calmer healthier state.
(2) Music
It can change your state and allow you to feel joy, laughter. Feel when you are your peak state and go with it.
This episode is totally focused on helping you get to your peak mental state.
LINKS MENTIONED IN TODAY’S PROGRAM:
Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/
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“There are different kinds of fear. When you are terrified to do something out of your comfort zone, that is an indicator of growth.” Celebrity Auctiontainer and LGBTQ advocate, Letitia Frye, discusses her recent tragedy and how it drove her to go outside her comfort zone to dance with One n Ten at their upcoming event.
Letitia is dancing in honor of a 17-year-old whose life ended way too soon.
Letitia met her fiance, Mark Holland, in 2017.
Frye and Holland each have two children, and she talks about their interesting first date and how one of Holland’s initial concerns was her acceptance for his transgender son, Aksel. Frey says she knew, at that moment, he was the one for her.
By the age of 17, and with the complete support of his family, Aksel had undergone gender transformation and was legally considered a male in the state of California.
Frye explains the joy and passion that Aksel brought not only her life, but to everyone else who knew and loved him. Frye says Aksel always wanted to “right the wrongs in the world … he wanted to be a voice to the voiceless.”
Then on April 10th, 2018, tragedy struck Letitia Frye’s new blended family. Aksel, at the tender age of 17, had taken his own life.
Frye shares the note Aksel left explaining the demons he struggled with. Even with the help he had received in the past, and the ongoing support of his family, the daily battles were too much. Aksel’s note expressed love for his family and that his unhappiness was no one’s fault, but that his life was just too difficult, too painful.
Today, Letitia Frye strives to avoid the tragedy her family experienced with Aksel. She is very present in the LGBTQ community volunteering with One n Ten, and going ‘out of her comfort zone’ participating in its ball room dancing event.
“We are dancing for Aksel; we are dancing with a primary emphasis on support for transgender youth, but for One n Ten in general.”
She explains that One n Ten is both a support system and leadership development organization designed to help our LGBTQ youth, ages 10 through age 25, through education, mental health, and the arts. They have the largest gay camp for youth located in Prescott, Arizona. ‘This organization is a base where all youth can come and participate in support groups if they are struggling with, or know someone who is struggling with, figuring out his or her sexuality. One n Ten is about being celebratory of our similarities,” Frye says.
Letitia Frye wants people to hear Aksel’s story and not to judge. She goes on to say, “I think the one thing I’d hope, for anyone who comes across a child or youth that’s different in any capacity, please don’t judge … if you do know that they are transgender, or perhaps have had a situation where they’ve decided that they have different identity, either sexually or just how they feel as a human being, be in acceptance of that because that key word in there is, ‘human being’ … the world needs more Aksels.”
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12 seconds changed her life. Elena Breese’s husband was running the Boston Marathon in 2013 when the first of two bombs exploded.
“I was standing in the bleachers right across the street from where the bombs went off,” Breese says. “I have to say, it was a beautiful day in Boston. Sunny, warm, the city was alive. It was celebratory.” And then, “the worst of humanity took over right before my eyes. I have a front row seat to the terror that day.”
It has been a long, painful road to healing since that day.
“It all happened so fast it’s hard to slow down those moments in my mind. It’s like being faced with hell. Seeing the suffering happening right in front of me.”
Breese hadn’t spoken about the marathon for years. Until she decided to sit down and share her story on this podcast. Now she hopes to share the things she has learned while working to make herself whole again.
After the bombing, Breese suffered from debilitating anxiety and stress. Doctors told her she had PTSD. She ended up checking herself into a hospital where she spent six days, and according to Breese, left sicker than when she went in.
It motivated her to advocate for herself.
In this episode, Breese shares the steps she took on her journey back from a very dark time and she explains how each one of them helped her heal:
- Naturopathic Medicine
- Acupuncture
- Float therapy
- Hypnotherapy
- EMDR – eye movement therapy
Breese also talks about how she cut caffeine and alcohol out of her life.
“Healing hurts. And it takes a lot of time and it takes willing to be gentle with yourself and listen to yourself and go through your emotions. And it’s a process. It takes a lot of fight and a willingness to feel uncomfortable and a lot of faith,” Breese says. “You have to be willing to heal. You have to be willing to go on this journey. Put one foot in front of the other. Wake up, get out of bed, get dressed and breathe.”
Reach out to Elena here:
Website: http://www.stillbloomingme.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/stillbloomingme
Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/stillbloomingme
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/stillbloomingme
Links mentioned in this episode:
Dr. Kristine Wallace, NMD – http://www.desertwellnesscenter.com
Natalie McGovern, Hypnotherapist- http://www.blissfullivingbynatalie.com
Insight Timer Meditation App – https://insighttimer.com
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Ultra Endurance Athlete, Author and Coach Sarah Stanley pushes the limits in her own life, and is helping you do the same.
“There are so many people struggling. I want people to take away that you are never too far gone. You can change the second you decide to change when you want a better life. You can start your next chapter immediately. “
Here are Sarah’s TOP 10 Tips to Live Freely 1. Shift mindset from victim to warrior. Sarah says this is the foundation for transforming your life. Detox what your belief system is. You might have to get really quiet and figure out what is being said in your head and move to a place of empowerment vs self sabotage. Be empowered, strong, and take charge of your life.
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Make choices that you are proud of. Ask yourself, “Is this going to make me truly happy — not in the moment — but a month from now, a year from now?”
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Detox your thinking. 4. Consider what you are filling your mind with. 5. How is this choice serving me? Sarah points out that you have two buckets in life — and every choice you make is a drop in one of those buckets. Sooner than later the buckets are going to overflow into either the life that you want or the life that you don’t want.
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Natural physical movement daily 7. Eat nourishing foods daily. Her top tips on how to nourish your body: — Eat organic whenever possible.
— Focus on eating superfoods especially hemp.
— Eat fermented foods.
— Chia seeds are a favorite.
— Add some maca to your diet.
— Everyone should have turmeric in their daily diet.
— Eat a lot of ginger.
— Himalayan salt is important for its minerals. -
Detox how you spend or invest your time. 9. Read labels on whatever you buy. 10. Start and finish your day naming one thing you are grateful for. Also in this episode, Sarah shares out some of her favorite tips that help to motivate her daily.
— Turn passwords into truth statement like “I am worthy” or “Warrior” so you see those words on a regular basis. It helps to reprogram your brain.
— Set reminders on your phone with your affirmations so they pop up throughout the day
http://sarahstanleyinspired.com
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Cheryl Sosnowski is a Master Mindfulness Teacher and the owner of Create Space Studios. She has dedicated her life to teaching people how to become more mindful. For her, it was transformative.
On her own since the time she was 15, Sosnowski’s path was to emotionally shut down. She was in deep rooted denial after suffering years of abuse.
Sosnowski talks about how she went from being “an anxiety ridden, suicidal mother, horrible mess” to a calm, happy and stable person who now has an incredible relationship with her children.
It began with an eight week course and studying John Kabat-Zinn, American Professor of Medicine Emeritus and a creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Of her training, Sosnowski says she learned “everyone can transform and rewire. Mindfulness is a different way of being in the world.”
IN THIS EPISODE SOSNOWSKI SHARES:
HOW MINDFULNESS CHANGED HER LIFE
— It has given her curiosity instead of judgement.
— She saw a profound difference in the way she handled stress
HOW TO BECOME MORE MINDFUL
— Learn how to breath in a way that will make you more mindful
Notice your breaking and your thought process. Your thoughts are not things unless you make them be things. The only breath you can ever take is the one you take right now.
Bodily exercises
Paying attention to your thoughts
DAILY HABITS THAT HELPED HER TRANSFORM
— Get up earlier on purpose every day.
— Spend 15 minutes reading something motivational. 15 minutes meditating. Then go exercise.
“We have more wealth and more things than we’ve ever had. But people aren’t happy. We are busy all the time, but busy doing what? Are you creating something meaningful in your life?
The post How To Transform Your Thinking & Become More Mindful appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Renee Dee recently made a big comeback by launching her new online magazine, ICONIC. When Renee gets something in her head, she is not one to waste time or allow fear to get in the way. Renee is a visionary, she manages her fear through speed. When Renee realizes she wants to do something, she moves quickly and decisively. ICONIC represents her vision.
Renee speaks about the launch of ICONIC and how she had been contemplating the idea for years. One day, the decision was made to release, and she gave herself just 90 days to do so. She says she is not someone who is fearless. But after successfully launching AZ Foothills Magazine years earlier, the expectations second time around were a little higher and a little scarier than before. She chose to “move forward and take action” rather than allow self-doubt and fear slow her down.
In achieving her own goals, Renee says entrepreneurs must be their own life coach. Pursue what you love. Pay attention to your burning desire. She explains that it is important for entrepreneurs to say yes to things that will move your business forward. Renee spells success as, “F O C U S”. She views time as money and refuses to lose it or waste it.
ICONIC represents all that Renee loves – publishing, magazines, telling stories. The name portrays things that are long-lasting and true. Iconic are things that are “done extraordinarily well and stand the test of time”. Renee believes we are all “iconic”, living our best lives, being our best selves. For her, she hopes her best days are still to come and that she is a “work in progress”. As for ICONIC, her goal is for the online magazine to flourish, reaching out and inspiring people to live a beautiful life.
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S1E4 – 5 Ways To Transform Your Body and Mind
Listen to this podcast now
Rosie Herrera is a well known Fitness Trainer and Coach, owner of Lion’s Den Fitness, and social media motivator.
On this episode of Transformation Tuesday, Herrera shares all of her best tips and insight. Including HOW she lost 100 pounds.
“When life really bogs you down if you need to take a breath, allow that. Give yourself grace. While you are doing life, don’t let yourself go. Make sure you refill your cup. “
Herrera had a major uphill battle before she was able to refill her cup.
She suffered from severe depression after the tragic loss of her daughter. She was 250 pounds. And she didn’t want to get out of bed.
“I try to be super transparent with my feelings and this is how I was able to transform,” Herrera says as she outlines the steps in her journey.
Some might be surprised to learn that Herrera actually ate more to lose weight. In this episode, she details the way she did it.
We talk in depth about the 5 major steps that helped her transform her life — mind, body and spirit:
Sense of Community.
Find Your Person.
Lace up your shoes.
Find structure in food.
Faith.
Herrera tells us that her story represents beauty from the ashes.
Now she dedicates her life to helping others lift the cloud through fitness and health. “You just never know what the circle of life will bring you. We all have a calling for greatness — whatever that might look like.”
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Katie Kyleen is a Spiritual Psychologist who flies all around the world teaching people gateway healing in private sessions and conferences.
On this episode, we take you inside a healing session and talk with Kyleen about her own personal healing journey and why she is a true believer.
“All of us want something in life. We are either looking for more success or greater health. What we don’t realize is that the subconscious works when we are sleeping and it runs 80% of our entire life. We are holding onto block that stop that from happening.”
WHAT IS GATEWAY HEALING?
It consists of two parts:
Breath
Connection
Kyleen tells us that it releases blockages on every single level. Hear examples from her own life and the people she has worked with who have seen remarkable transformations. “It’s hard for people to believe in things they can’t see. But energy is so real.”
WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP?
Having the intention to heal
Also in this episode:
— How to take the first steps to energy healing
— Learning the techniques
— Avoid living in a zombie society
— Tap into the grace in your life
— How to find energetic solutions to challenges and problems
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In this episode, sought after transformational coach and author, Tracy Martin, talks about how to transform the way you think about yourself.
THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE YOU WILL EVER HEAR
How do you change the thoughts that hold you back from being the best version of you? Break the brick wall syndrome.
She breaks down her 10 top tips to help you transform:
- Do not measure future success by past actions
- Habits need to be broken
- Take 30 days and do the exact opposite of what you normally do
- Change your personal settings
- Ask yourself WHY
- You have to commit
- Identify triggers and take their fuel away
- Demand radical Accountability
- Walk it out (wear your values out loud!)
- Give a damn about your life
Over the course of 50 minutes, we talk about how to surrender to grace and the questions to ask yourself to make you better.
CREATE AN ACTION LIST vs A TO-DO LIST
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“Life is a transformation, if we aren’t constantly expanding and growing, we are dying.”
Master Life Coach Luke Kayyem breaks down the 8 AREAS OF GROWTH TO LIVE AND EXTRAORDINARY LIFE.
After losing his mom unexpectedly to a stroke (and walking in to find her), Kayyem had to deal with his own transformation. “I’m not worried about tomorrow because I’m in check,” Kayyem says in our exclusive interview. “I’ve transformed.”
Now he’s not only living and just getting by, but he is helping to give other people life. Kayyem spends his days living his VISION and teaching others how to do the same.
Hired by big companies to help their employees create action plans, Kayyem tells us, “People hire coaches to get better and improve. Why? Because they hold you to accountability. You put skin in the game, you put money down and now you are invested in your growth. Investing in your growth is by far the most important investment you can have.”
In this episode, we help you invest in yourself by moving past the excuses.
HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE AND LIVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE
-Ego is the enemy.
-The most important decision you can make each and every day is what you do with your time.
-Stop asking yourself the wrong questions. Replace them with the right questions.
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“I’ve fallen so many times and I’m very well aware of how easy it is to get back up.” Jennifer Caraway, Founder of The Joy Bus talks about being on her own since the age of 15 and turning hardship into success. Jennifer refused to let fear get in the way of her success. Jennifer grew up with a father who was both an alcoholic and abusive. At the young age of 15, Jennifer’s family abandoned her, and she was left without a home. Instead of fear, she felt relief being on her own. Jennifer kept going. She was determined to finish high school and motivated to succeed. She explains that being scared was just not an option for her. Jennifer says she was driven to prove that she is capable of anything. That determination helped her not let fear get in the way of her success.
Today, Jennifer Caraway is the founder and owner of The Joy Bus Diner, an idea that was founded after her friend, Joy, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She explains that while Joy was sick, making food for her was a way to support and comfort her friend. The Joy Bus Diner is a restaurant that donates 100% of its proceeds to support The Joy Bus. The Joy Bus, also created by Jennifer, is a non-profit organization that prepares and delivers meals to homebound cancer patients.
It is Jennifer’s goal to make those of less fortune feel as if they are going out to have a nice meal. Jennifer states that, “If I can do something to help someone, and make their journey just a little bit less painful, then I am stoked.”
Jennifer says before The Joy Bus, she had a, “bitter chip on her shoulder” and viewed people as selfish. It has been in working with the many selfless volunteers for The Joy Bus, that she now sees people differently. Jennifer’s biggest piece of advice would be to volunteer and don’t be a victim. She explains that by being a victim it allows the other person to win. She goes on to say how important it is to surround yourself with good people. Through her selfless efforts and motivation, Jennifer is a shining example of someone who did not let fear get in the way of her success. She is determined to continue making a difference in the world every day.
The post How To Not Let Fear Get In The Way Of Your Success appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
S1E1 – Transforming The Way You Think About Yourself
In this episode, sought after transformational coach and author, Tracy Martin, talks about how to transform the way you think about yourself.
THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE YOU WILL EVER HEAR
How do you change the thoughts that hold you back from being the best version of you? Break the brick wall syndrome.
She breaks down her 10 top tips to help you transform:
- Do not measure future success by past actions
- Habits need to be broken
- Take 30 days and do the exact opposite of what you normally do
- Change your personal settings
- Ask yourself WHY
- You have to commit
- Identify triggers and take their fuel away
- Demand radical Accountability
- Walk it out (wear your values out loud!)
- Give a damn about your life
Over the course of 50 minutes, we talk about how to surrender to grace and the questions to ask yourself to make you better.
CREATE AN ACTION LIST vs A TO-DO LIST
RESOURCES AND LINKS:
http://www.iamthedoc.com/thefilm/
http://www.traceylmartin.com
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Tanya Wheeless, CEO of Happy Grace, shares her journey to happiness. It didn’t happen overnight!
Following law school, she went to work for one of her clients as CEO for Arizona Bankers Association, which then led her to working as the Senior Vice President for the Phoenix Suns. While with the Suns, Wheeless mentored the players with off-court development. Through this, she realized her true passion was to help others succeed.
This realization was the starting point to where Tanya Wheeless is today. She’s happy with her life and filled with gratitude.
To others Wheeless had it all. She was successful in her career, had a nice home and a wonderful family, but she wasn’t happy.
Wheeless’ breaking point came while she was on a run and began to cry. Something needed to change.
She decided to take a year off work to figure out her true calling.
“I don’t know that things were missing … the problem was that I wasn’t seeing the blessings that were right in front of me,” Wheeless shares in her interview with Carey Pena.
“By making small changes in ourselves,” Wheeless says, “we allow the peace and happiness into our lives that is right in front of us.”
Tanya Wheeless went back to work to begin another chapter of her life as an Executive Coach. She traveled across the country and worked with some high-level professionals. She noticed many were having the same struggles that she had been through – searching for happiness.
Tanya Wheeless hopes her company, Happy Grace, which includes coaching and a line of journals, will help people take notice of what is not working in their lives – this includes being kind to yourself and letting go of what you can’t control.
“It is not possible to be angry or unhappy when you are in a place of gratitude,” Wheeless says. “I love who I am more than I ever have.”
The post How To Notice What Is Not Working In Your Life. And Fix It appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Eric Gregory, author of, “All My Tomorrows” discusses the sudden, tragic death of his son, Christopher, and how it gave five people a second chance at life. Eric explains both the sorrow and the journey he has been on since that day when he received a phone call, just three days after seeing his 19-year-old son for the last time. Christopher had been rushed to the hospital with a brain aneurism. Shortly, Eric would be faced with the difficult question of whether to donate his son’s organs. Fortunately, Christopher had told his family he was an organ donor, so Eric, through the fog and sorrow, did just that. “All My Tomorrows” was written as an effort to not only highlight Christopher’s memory, but to also reveal the importance of organ donation. The story was turned into a book and will soon be a movie.
Eric Gregory discusses the two things he prayed for while Christopher was laying in the hospital: One was that Christopher would be taken to heaven and two, he would be able to meet some of the people whose lives were impacted by Christopher’s organ donation. Eric takes us through what it was like to finally sit down with the people who were saved by his son and hear each of their stories. On that day, the man who received Christopher’s lungs, Jorge Bicardi, had been getting ready to go on a fishing trip thinking he was at the end. Earlier in the day he had been second on the recipient list and had missed a set of lungs that went to another recipient. Then came the unbelievable 11:45 p.m. call from his doctor that there was another set of lungs for him, Christopher’s lungs. Nick Whittaker, who received Christopher’s kidney and pancreas, had been sent home that day to die. He and his wife were at home calling family and friends when they got their call. Mack Jackson received Christopher’s heart. Eric finally met Mack in 2015 and says, “When Mack took off his hat to pray, I was humbled… There’s an interconnectedness between all of humanity, and we need to spend more time recognizing what we have in common. Love matters, life matters”.
“All My Tomorrows” is a novel that tells the different stories of the five lives that were saved by his son’s organ donation, and Eric states that, “this is a story about something good and decent.” Eric hopes his novel will inspire people to recognize the importance of organ donation and he goes on to state, “it comes down to how we treat each other as human beings, that we have a shared humanity. We have the same hearts the same blood you know, we have so much in common with each other that if we just take a minute we can recognize that it’s easier to love people than it is to hate them.” Eric wants his son, Christopher, to be remembered as a good man, a good human being and hopes the movie does justice bringing recognition to all the doctors, the nurses, the organ donors and the whole organ donor community everywhere.
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Former TV personality of KUSI in San Diego, Brad Perry, tosses in the towel and begins a new chapter in his journey to happiness. He discusses the power of living in the present, not in the past and not in the future, and what opened his eyes to walk away from a successful career. Being a well-known broadcaster was not all that it seemed for Brad Perry. He explains how easy it became for him to dwell on the past and stress about the future. Brad believes that the biggest problem for most people is looking too much at what those around us have and stressing when we lack it. Brad Perry believes that the power of living in the now is a significant key to happiness.
Brad believed that working hard, going to church, being nice to others, and eating healthy were the right things to do and that by doing them, he was serving as a good role model to his children. After reading a book that his daughter gifted him his journey was set in motion. Then when his son pointed out some of Brad’s personal actions, he decided to do better for his kids, and do some real soul searching. According to Brad, people often struggle with focusing on the past and not living in the present. He states that people walk through many doors in life and that, “when they’re bad doors, we blame it on somebody else, and when they’re good doors, we say it’s, ‘oh I’m lucky’… these doors are meant to be open for you.” He speaks about the life and career he had successfully chosen, but how it was taking him to become a bitter Brad. The negative news he was reporting in his profession began to take a toll on his soul until he decided enough was enough. Brad made a decision to take responsibility for his life, and not knowing what lie ahead, he walked through a new door to a new journey.
Brad quit KUSI and decided to focus on the power of the present. He did not have another career lined up or savings tucked away, but in doing so, he began to do things that made him happy. Brad now dedicates his days to working out, staying healthy, and he continues to read. He discusses three books that were significant in this transition and how they taught him to live in the present, and stop being his own worst enemy. The books Brad owes his new knowledge to are: “The Power of Now,” “The Voice of Knowledge,” and “Broadcasting Happiness.”
In this new journey, Brad Perry hopes to inspire other men to focus on the power of the present. He believes that men need more positivity in their lives, and that it is crucial they learn to take responsibility for themselves. Brad’s biggest emotional impact from this journey has been taking responsibility for his own actions. He now wakes up every day being thankful, being a better person, and having love for himself.
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Radio personality of KTAR Mac and Gaydos Show, Mac Watson, discusses his decision to adopt two children, a decision that transformed his life.
“When you think you can’t, you can”. That comment by someone at Child Crisis Arizona changed his perception on having a family. After partnering with Child Crisis Arizona in Phoenix, Mac explains how his previous view on having children of his own shifted.
According to Mac, he had all the excuses why not to have children, but it was his wife who said, “why not”.
He discusses the difficulties he and his wife had with having children. Mac explains how their decision to adopt came from realizing just how much the 18,000 foster children here in Arizona were in need, and for him, it was simply the right thing to do.
Mac and his wife were foster parents for a year before they received a call giving them just two hours to be placement for two siblings, a brother and a sister, looking for ‘Forever Parents’. He goes on to explain that this process typically takes years to complete, but in their case it only took three months. Mac remembers saying and thinking, “this is eerie…this is just too odd… From the beginning, it did not happen the way it was supposed to happen, but it was as though some pre-ordained or divined providence was at work that these kids were going to be our kids.”
In that three months, Mac and his wife made their decision to adopt.
Mac Watson cannot express enough how grateful he is that he was given this opportunity to not only change his children’s lives, but also his own. With his wife’s help, Mac discovered how much more he could be.
He goes on to say, “I am a full person now.” Mac always felt that something was missing in his life, and now that he has a family of his own, he feels whole. He is humbled knowing he can affect ‘sister’ and ‘brother’s’ life in this very same way.
Having children has made Mac happy. Before adopting he had the job, had the career, had the station, had a beautiful wife, but now he says, “I have won the lottery.”
Mac can now say, “I’m a Dad”.
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Scott and Marla Berger, founders of Addison Taylor Fine Jewelry, did not expect to create the movement but they did. By designing the Tree of Life Intention Stick in an effort to unify humankind and allow people to heal themselves, the Tree of Life Movement was born. The Tree of Life Intention Stick is said to be more than just a necklace. Scott and Marla Berger believe it to be a healing tool.
Scott describes the necklace being used as a way to open people’s hearts and allow the carefully chosen words placed in the necklace to inspire. He explains the intentions, once placed inside the necklace and worn close to your heart, are designed to help you heal yourself and perfect those words in real life. Allowing one’s heart to open up and letting the intentions in will allow for an effect to take place. Scott and Marla describe intentions as having causes and effects. The Tree of Life Intention Stick serves as a purpose to remind one’s self what intention he or she decides to perfect to help us heal and become unified.
When stories from those who wore the Intention Stick started coming to them, Scott and Marla began to realize just how special the necklace was that they had designed. One story in specific that Scott touches on was that of a man named Tony who had been suffering from Lyme Disease. Tony, a self-proclaimed skeptic and believer in all things scientific, listened as Scott began to explain The Tree of Life Movement and the purpose of the Tree of Life Intention Stick. Scott then placed the necklace around Tony’s neck. Tony was overwhelmed with emotion as his pain dissipated with the placement of the Tree of Life Intention Stick, bringing both men to tears.
According to Scott and Marla, the goal in creating the Tree of Life Intention Stick was originally a way for them to give back in a healing way. Marla explains how they believe healing oneself and loving oneself is the hardest thing for people to do. Both Scott and Marla have faith that this Tree of Life Movement will not only help people heal themselves, but that it will also help those who have been healed, reach out to heal those around them joining in Tree of Life Movement.
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“Every 25 minutes, a baby is born addicted to opioids.” Staggering numbers for sure. Tara Sundem, co-founder of Hushabye Nursery, says she is on a mission to provide new ways to care for this fragile and explosive population which is rapidly increasing due to the Opioid Epidemic. She believes compassionate, professional care could change the course of their entire lives.
Tara has been a neonatal nurse and caregiver for 24 years. She goes on to state that, “between the years 2008-2013, there has been a 235% increase in babies that are diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome”, and she feels the numbers are more likely even greater since 2013. Babies born with NAS suffer from a range of withdrawal symptoms that can include tremors, vomiting, loose stools, modeling of the skin, inability to sleep, inconsolable crying, sneezing, excessive yawning, and in some cases seizures, and need to be cared for differently. It is not uncommon for NAS babies to be given morphine to aid in their withdrawal.
Because she has experienced the Opioid Epidemic as a caregiver to NAS babies, Tara discusses the importance of controlling Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, how the drug withdrawals can be dangerous, and why the neonatal intensive care unit is not the right environment. According to Tara, babies with NAS are extremely hypersensitive, and when dealing with withdrawals, they need to be contained, not just rocked or cuddled. She created Hushabye Nursery, a recovery center that specializes in newborns withdrawing from substances that the mother has taken during the pregnancy, babies that will need to be medicated. It is staffed with both highly skilled professionals and volunteers that are trained to handle the drug withdrawals these babies are suffering from in a calming environment, away from all the lights and alarms of a neonatal unit.
As her answer to the Opioid Epidemic, Tara Sundem, believes Hushabye Nursery will make the difference in these babies’ lives, lowering seizures and allowing for attachment between the babies and caregivers. Tara remains positive and inspired through the knowledge that this is the right thing to do – fighting for this fragile population, providing the right care, and hoping to make a difference in their future.
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Kelly Woyan, Hollywood filmmaker, successful cookbook author and blogger, did something unexpected, and she says it saved her life. After going through a divorce and suddenly becoming a single mother of five, Woyan was at her lowest. She felt worthless and that she had nothing to offer.
She was invited to volunteer and help others but didn’t know it would save her too.
From childhood, Woyan always wanted to be a foreign correspondent. She married young and had her first daughter shortly thereafter. Her dreams in becoming a writer and telling other’s stories was postponed as she embraced her new role as mother, Woyan’s voice was again “sparked” when her son was diagnosed with life threatening food allergies at age 1. She became a food allergy advocate and started her own blog, even though she believed no one would really listen to her.
A million followers later, in the role thrust upon her as food allergy advocate, Woyan felt her need to protect other children, just like she protected her son.
With the support of her followers, Woyan went on to write successful cookbooks, “The Food Allergy Momma’s Baking Book” and “Vegan Baking Classics”, even though she says she can’t really cook.
Woyan had gone from being a preschool advocate to having an online, national presence with a voice that was being heard.
Kelly Woyan has appeared on the Today Show and Martha Stewart, and written for several national publications including Women’s Day and Wall Street journal, yet she says none of this was planned. Her roles were all accidental.
Even with a successful career as blogger and cookbook author, Woyan explains she still felt something was missing. She wasn’t “using her voice in the way she should anymore”.
A self-described endless learner, Woyan decided to move to Los Angeles so she could attend USC grad school. She wanted to pursue her dream in journalism and documentary filmmaking. This move proved to be life changing.
In grad school, she felt her “creativity just burst open”.
Although Woyan was living her dream as a filmmaker in Los Angeles, her personal life began to crash. Her marriage of nearly 2 decades was crumbling. Woyan says she wasn’t prepared to handle this life trauma and loss.
She found herself a single mom of five with a demanding Hollywood career. But in this, her darkest time she found her light.
Through a close friend, Woyan was introduced to Global Family Philanthropy, an organization committed to helping the children, the sick and the elderly of Haiti and Arizona living in extreme poverty. She was invited to go with them to Haiti as a volunteer.
It was in Haiti that Woyan found herself. She also found her meaning in life.
“So for me, the idea to go there, to remember who I really was which is, I was just like them. The people I was helping all of a sudden I felt, Oh my gosh, they’re helping me.”
By volunteering with Global Family Philanthropy, going to another country and giving to others, she was able find a new meaning, a new purpose.
This moment made Woyan a lifelong volunteer.
It took the people of Haiti to remind Woyan that “she is a woman who is stronger than she gave herself credit to be.”
Kelly Woyan believes that giving to others not only saved her, it changed her life in every possible way.
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If there is a door, walk through it. Otherwise it is just a wall.
This bit of encouragement comes from a life coach I interviewed on my podcast. She encourages people to embrace change and push past their fear of the unknown. In other words, walk through the door.
Valley mom Paula Wichterman walked through the door and it changed her life.
Wichterman is well-known in philanthropy circles. She is on the Phoenix Heart Ball committee and takes part in many other charitable causes. Formerly a bank executive, Wichterman left her full-time career to spend more time with her husband and children and explore entrepreneurial endeavors (including a jewelry line called Sugar Mama Jewels). She had a full life. A successful life. A life she was able to control.
But a door was about to open for her in a most unexpected way.
Forty-four years ago, Wichterman was born in South Carolina but given up for adoption as an infant. Hers was a closed adoption, so no details about her biological parents were known. She was adopted by a loving couple in Greenville, South Carolina. Her father was a minister and her mother was a nurse. Wichterman had a great childhood.
Fast-forward to last year, when Wichterman and her children were watching TV and saw a commercial for ancestry.com. Her boys encouraged her to take a chance and find out more about her roots. She had no idea that this simple test would open a door to finding her biological parents. “This was like careening down a highway with no steering wheel,” Wichterman said. “It’s like being out of control, and I don’t like that feeling.”
The test at ancestry.com provided a piece of a puzzle about her DNA, and the opportunity to see if any others were a match. She posted in a closed Facebook group called “DNA Detectives” and received a message from a so-called search angel named Maria who was willing to help. Maria, by the way, does all of this in her spare time — for free.
Apparently she is good at what she does. Maria quickly narrowed down the search and found Wichterman’s biological parents.
As this story took several emotional twists and turns, Wichterman would find out that her biological father, Terry, never knew she existed. He had no idea that his girlfriend from so many years ago had been pregnant. And that the baby — their baby — was given up for adoption.
All of this came as a shock. Still, he welcomed a meeting with open arms.
Wichterman and her husband traveled to South Carolina to meet her biological father. As they anxiously rode down the escalator in the airport, not knowing what to expect, they got a glimpse of something truly special. Terry and his big extended family stood there waiting with a bundle of pink balloons and signs that read, “It’s a Girl!”
The moment was captured on a video that later went viral.
Wichterman who is, in her words, “not much of a crier,” broke down in tears. The reception was one of true acceptance and love. Quickly she would learn a lot about the father she never knew. He builds custom Harleys. And he had no children — that is, until this moment.
At 62, Terry is celebrating Father’s Day for the first time. Not only did he find out that he’s a father, but he is also a grandfather. (Paula has two boys, and there is a striking resemblance.) In one of their many long phone conversations, he shared with his daughter, “I feel like a piece of me was broken off and I’ve just gotten it back.”
Her journey would not have happened without the love and encouragement of her adoptive parents, without help from Maria, the selfless search angel, and without the willingness to walk through an open door.
I invited Wichterman on my podcast, Carey Peña Reports, to share the story, because to me it represents all that can happen when we overcome our fears and take chances. If we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and to explore possibilities, life can become so much more rewarding.
For Paula Wichterman, this was a journey to find out more about her life. She opened up — on our podcast and on social media — to share the hope and courage that her story represents.
“Raising kids is hard, marriage is great and hard. There were so many opportunities for me to quit, and I really, sometimes, wanted to,” she said of her search for answers. “Sometimes you don’t get the story you want. Sometimes you don’t get the pink balloons. But you can get that inner peace.”
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Dave Cooke, a Valley business coach and founder of 100Pedals, discusses how 100 days totally changed his life, and ultimately helped his son.
“Some people choose to embrace the darkness. I choose to look for the light”
Over six years ago, Dave Cooke had hit rock bottom while trying to save his youngest son from addiction, and in doing so, Dave’s own life was out of control. Dave thought and prayed, “God just give me a heart attack so I can escape this”
Life had become just too much. Dave Cooke found it hard just to get out of bed.
One night while sitting on the porch, which he did often, he realized things had to change. Dave also knew nothing would change unless he did something about it, so he challenged himself to ride his bike one hour a day for 100 consecutive days. He wanted to start each day with something positive.
His 100-day challenge was not immediate. It took him a couple of days to get started, but finally Dave got his bike out of garage and just rode. One hour and 8 minutes later he finished day one feeling inspired and energized. Dave wrote some notes and waited for the next day.
Every day he rode and every day he journaled. Dave Cooke found himself becoming more confident, stronger. The more he pedaled and journaled, the more momentum he had.
Dave recalls how his son Brandon’s journey to addiction started by smoking pot in 8 th grade. Brandon then began struggling in school, couldn’t play soccer any longer because of his grades, chose different friends, and over the years, became a heroin addict. Brandon stole from his family, lived on the streets and was arrested.
According to Dave Cooke, more than 23 million people struggle with addiction, and the saying ‘My kid would never do drugs’ is just not true. He goes on to say that Brandon knew he was loved by his family, but like other addicts, his addiction was his coping mechanism he chose for his pain. Dave believes it can happen to anyone.
Dave felt like a failure. He earned his living as a business coach and yet he couldn’t change or coach his own son. It was devastating. He felt broken. He was not himself. He was failing to allow his love to show through.
Through the 100 Day Challenge, Dave was able to create healthy boundaries for his relationship with his son. It took him out of ‘rescue mode’ and gave him clarity. Dave was able to stop bringing his fears and doubts into his son’s situation. His mindset shifted. He became healthier.
Dave made his son responsible for his own recovery. Brandon is now 8 months clean and is doing the work to stay sober.
When Dave launched his non-profit, 100Pedals, he biked from Santa Monica to Detroit along legendary Route 66. An amazing journey with a mission. This ride allowed Dave to experience life in slow motion. The purpose was to show his healing, and to connect with others. While on his trip, people came up and shared their own stories of addiction. Soon Dave will be doing a second ride from Charleston to New Orleans.
Through this, Dave Cooke wants us to remember, “Love trumps everything…love trumps fear”. He reminds us all to surrender to love… allow yourself to love and to be loved.
The post From Heartache to Hope: A Father’s Crusade Against Addiction appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Today Kevin Cherilla, co-founder of K2 Adventures, shares with us an amazing journey to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, inspired by a young man, a star athlete and cancer survivor, who is blind.
Kevin is on a mission to help others. Recently, he celebrated his own 10 th anniversary of climbing Mt. Everest, a goal he had set for himself when he was just 8 years old. Kevin talks about how it felt 10 years ago when he reached the summit and stood “on top of this world”, as he put it. At that moment he thought about his past and all the great people that have supported him. “If you listen to the naysayers all the time you will never survive in this industry”. Kevin believes in surrounding yourself with supportive and positive people.
K2 Adventure Travel focuses on helping those in need through their adventures. Their expertise and guidance also allows people with special challenges an opportunity to experience international expeditions.
Tim Connors came to Kevin and K2 Adventures for their help. He wanted to learn how to raise money for the people, and the organizations, who had helped him through his cancer battle and years of hospital visits. He also wanted to hire K2 Adventures to help him climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Tim had been a star athlete, who at just 15 was diagnosed with cancer, a tumor in his chest. Cancer cost him a lot. Tim has no gland function in his body, his muscles are atrophied, he has neuropathy of the feet and he lost his sight. Even with all these health challenges, Kevin recognized Tim’s intense drive to succeed. K2 Adventures decided to help.
Early on, Kevin Cherilla knew this climb would have to be about Tim. A team was formed to prepare for his climb. Tim’s father lost 60 pounds and his 60-year old Uncle, an internal medical doctor, agreed to be Tim’s medical support. Both men had to learn how to climb. Two of Tim’s best friends, age 24 were there for support, as always. This trip was all about Tim and this small team working together, overcoming the challenges.
Tim was determined. He felt a need to raise awareness for other adolescents who have gone through, or are going through, the same challenges he has been through.
Because Tim is blind, his team helped him experience the climb by describing what it looked like, felt like. The way the mountain looked, the clouds. The mist he was feeling. A buddy system was used to help Tim navigate the terrain more efficiently. When he was tired they rested. When he was exhausted and having problems with his legs, they encouraged him to keep going. Kevin explains that the final push to the top of Kilimanjaro was probably the roughest since Tim only has about 75% lung capacity, and it was hard to breathe.
Kevin says watching Tim, his dad and his uncle get to the top was overwhelming. Both father and son broke down. After a 7-year cancer battle, including 100 days in ICU where he had been given his last rites, Tim Connors proved his mental strength and drive while on that mountain – and just days after graduating summa cum laude from college.
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In studio with us today we have model, spokesperson and MS advocate, Camerone Parker, who just recently started talking about her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis and her career comeback against the odds.
Camerone’s journey with MS started the day she and four other models became seriously ill. They were rushed to the hospital with meningitis. Camerone was treated for weeks for spinal meningitis, an extremely painful illness. Several tests were run and during this time, she found out she had Multiple Sclerosis.
With the help of her family she started looking at what that meant. At age 32, she told her doctor, “You just signed my death warrant”.
Together, she and her family decided to fight.
Camerone chose to keep the diagnosis a secret. She had no insurance. She didn’t want her modelling career ruined.
Over the years, her illness and the side effects became harder to keep secret. She got married in 2002 and started to slow down in her career. Camerone was also coming out of remission. It was getting harder to attend her charity events and she never wanted anyone to see her and think she was drunk.
In 2009, Camerone Parker finally trusted a journalist with her story. She says, “You have to be in the right place and right mind and space.” She was ready.
Telling her story was both freeing and frightening. The journalist was following Camerone through her treatment, showing her side effects. Camerone was exposed but determined to show her courage in battling MS. Especially since she says, “75% of all new MS diagnosis are women”.
When the magazine came out, Camerone received international support through cards, letters, emails, and text messages. She no longer lived in fear of someone finding out her secret or of being judged.
Camerone says, “It was awesome to have that support and it kept going”. She was approached by the National MS Society to tell her incredible story, which she tells through her laughter and tears.
The hardest thing, the most painful part of having MS is having your diagnosis questioned. Camerone goes on to say that no two patients with MS are the same and with MS you don’t look sick. People don’t see her the day after she walks the runway and she can’t get out of bed, or the cataract surgeries, or the side effects of the medication. People don’t know that with MS you can go blind.
In April 2011, Camerone spoke at the Women Against MS event. This was going to be the last time she would be seen in public for a very long time. Her marriage had come apart. Her illness was spinning out of control, both mentally and physically. She says she felt at the bottom edge of death.
Camerone now had to fight for her life. In January 2012, she was admitted to the hospital. “I didn’t want to die,” she says. Camerone didn’t know how she would do it, but she says she knew it was “get up or give up.”
Broken, she had to get back to the top. Camerone surrounded herself with a great team of doctors, her family and her friends. Through their encouragement and challenges, she came back, slowly. She received positive feedback and affirmations from the fashion industry. She set goals, and even though it took her several years, she struggled her way back.
Camerone Parker is now living her dream. She will be getting married soon but she says, “My dream came true when I said, I don’t want to die”. She feels her work on this planet is not done.
The post Living with MS: Model Camerone Parker Shares Private Journey appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
An inspirational and heartbreaking story of David Gilkey, award-winning photojournalist, who sacrificed his life in the name of journalism. David was killed on June 5, 2016, while on assignment with NPR in Afghanistan.
One of his closest friends, Rick McCartney, is here today to share his story.
Rick describes David as “a truly authentic man. He was who he said he was. When he went into these war zones to take pictures, he did it with the idea that he needed to show the world what was happening”.
Long before high school, David proved himself as having an eye for shooting a story.
The friends then went on to Oregon State together, not knowing if they were even ready for college. After one year they parted ways but maintained their friendship. David went to Boulder and then to Detroit working for well-known publications, the Daily Camera and the Detroit Free Press. With that experience, he landed a job in Washington DC with National Public Radio.
David Gilkey was one of the first photojournalists after 9/11, on the ground, covering the war, telling the story.
Tragically, on June 5, 2016, assassins were allegedly tipped off. The Humvee he was riding in while embedded with the Afghan army was bombed. Rick first found out about his friend’s death when he saw a strange photo of David on Facebook. Both David Gilkey and his translator were killed in the attack.
For Rick, this was the first sudden death of someone close to him. He remembers David’s visit just a month before and how extremely happy he was at the time.
For the memorial service, Rick was asked to write a speech. While still upset and hurt with the loss of his friend. Rick said he found comfort through David’s mother, who got up and spoke. She let everyone know that her son had died doing what he truly loved. He was always out for adventure. He was always going to go in harm’s way.
David Gilkey, award-winning journalist, never wanted it to be about him.
After his death, Rick discovered more about his friend’s incredible career and just how many awards he had won, but never spoke about. Not even his Edward R Murrell Award for Photojournalism, his Robert F Kennedy Award or his Emmy.
Rick says David’s story is important and he deserves to be remembered. But other men and women continue doing incredible journalism all over the world and they are still under attack while trying to tell the story. They are still in harm’s way.
David’s legacy is about ensuring safety and security protocols for all journalists.
To honor his friend, Rick is now an advocate. He explains that since David’s death, he has researched the safety and security of our journalists. According to Rick, even in war, journalists now must depend on other outside security personnel, no longer our armed forces, for their safety. Rick believes journalists should be sent on assignment only when they know the full truth about their safety, through intelligence reporting, and only with security measures in place. Recently, Rick was asked to go to Washington DC by the French Consulate, on behalf of Reporters Without Borders, to show David’s work, and to speak about reporter’s safety and security.
How would Rick like us to remember his childhood friend, David Gilkey?
“Personally”, Rick says, “as an incredible friend, and for the public, as a very talented photojournalist who wants to tell the story – authentically”.
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Retired Phoenix Police Officer, Jason Schechterle, is here with one of the most inspiring personal stories you will ever hear.
It’s a miracle he survived after his patrol car was rear ended by a taxi traveling 100mph. Jason’s car burst into flames trapping him inside. The incredible teams at Maricopa Integrated Health System and Arizona Burn Center saved his life.
Today, Jason is a Keynote Speaker inspiring people across the country to ‘keep going’ and he is the author of BURNING SHIELD.
“LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND 90% HOW YOU REACT TO IT”.
A proud father, his youngest son just graduated 8th grade. Jason said by all accounts his son should not even be here but goes on to say, “We both have a deeper appreciation for his life. I am excited to see him go on to his next journey. He loves life, he’s got a bright future.”
Both Jason and his son were gifted life. They are both miracles.
Recently at the Night of Hero’s Event, Maricopa Health Foundation honored Jason. The event opened with a dramatic video.
On March 26th, 2001, Jason’s squad car was rear ended by a taxi and engulfed in flames. His life changed forever.
Dr. Daniel Caruso, MD Chairman MIHS, said Jason should have died at the scene. “People do not survive when their entire head and upper body is engulfed in flame and smoke. It is physiologically impossible”.
Jason Schechterle not only survived, he is a hero and an inspiration.
When asked if watching this video was hard, Jason says, “It’s not difficult… I am enthralled, and humbled and so appreciative of what the people on that scene did that night. They are the heroes”.
When Jason listens to what the firefighters and police officers did that night, and the opportunities they gave him to live, he feels they are the true heroes. He understands that being a First Responder is a true calling.
For Jason to be here today, 16 years later, is a miracle. He came through something that no one else has survived.
But, on March 26th, 2001, the twist of fate was on his side.
A firetruck was sitting at that intersection. Great medical teams were put in place and they acted quickly.
Dr Daniel Caruso, a kind and caring burn doctor, raced to the hospital and was in shock when he saw Jason. The doctor once told Jason that he wondered if he was doing him a favor trying to save him.
Jason does not have memories of that night, but he loves the stories and the human side of it. He suffered 4th degree burns. Burns that go through the muscle, through the fat, all the way to the bone. Jason was not just surrounded by fire in the accident, he was on fire. He lost his entire physical identity.
“Dying would have been easy. This path (survival) was not easy”.
Instead, he was left with a long and painful road. He has had more than 52 surgeries. He never once wished he was dead, but having no memory from that night he says,” passing away would have been very simple”. What he was facing was fear and pain for a lot of years.
Jason always chose life.
He fought hard, both physically and mentally, to have a great life for his family, and to continue to reach out and help others.
“Now that I understand the full power of the human spirit. There is nothing you can’t overcome with a positive attitude. The sun rises. Life goes on, and you can either be part of it or not. It is that simple.”
Jason explains that when he hears people saying life sucks, he thinks to himself there is nothing like life. “You can’t give up on anything, and the sun is coming up tomorrow if you want it to or not. You have to be capable to see things that are bigger than yourself”. He believes that you have to find what moves you, what inspires you.
Coming out of the hospital, Jason was prescribed a low dose antidepressant, but he realized with his huge support system, he couldn’t fail. So, he only took the drugs for a very short time. He wanted to feel what he was going to feel and get through it. He did not want to take a chance of becoming dependent or addicted to something that would set him back. He embraced his feelings in order to get to the other side.
The future came about when he and his wife found out that they were pregnant with their third child. Jason wanted to be stronger for his children. He had a responsibility to be the best dad he could be to his three children.
Looking back, the toughest parts are really the best parts.
His daughter was just 7, and his son at age 3, had a hard time dealing with what happened to their dad. His son would cry and run out of room saying,” you are not my dad”. This lasted for months. But now, at 18, his oldest son has grown into a “most beautiful soul ever put on this earth”.
To tell his story, Jason decided to write a book, BURNING SHIELD, a legacy for his children. He wanted his story told accurately.
Now a Keynote Speaker, Jason travels around the country as he continues to be inspired by telling his story to others. He continues to inspire and help others with whatever they are going through. He says that people always want to compare their adversities. Jason goes on to say you can’t.
“Your adversity is your own, and it is a very big deal, no matter what it is. You cannot compare adversities”.
Many people want to share their stories with him as well.
In 2010, following a speech to about 700 people, a NYC firefighter came up and told him that he had been through 9/11. And he was currently going through a divorce. He wanted to let Jason know that his story changed his life. His comment was powerful.
Jason was humbled. If he can just touch one person by telling his story, it is worth it.
His story is not about being burned or being a cop, it is about adversity, it is about life. He speaks to all age groups, all genres.
Jason recognizes the courage it takes for people to walk up to him. He finds it heartwarming.
Sometimes the looks that people give him can bother him and then sometimes not. Of course, he is “human”. He says he has good days and bad days like anyone.
About 18 months ago, he started traveling alone. His eyesight makes it difficult, but in true Jason style, he does not want to travel with friends as a crutch.
In a picture from his book, Jason is photographed alone on the golf course. This best represents his comeback. He had to overcome his adversity by himself. Even his wife acknowledges she couldn’t do it for him, he had to do it by himself. This picture represents the serenity he feels.
The one thing Jason wants everyone to take away from his story is “don’t let the pain of today blind you from the promise of tomorrow. Your human spirit can shine so bright. Your attitude is everything. Just don’t give up.”
Jason Schechterle, and everyone touched by his story, his inspiration, is forever in debt to those heroes that saved his life.
The post Burning Shield – The Jason Schechterle Story appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Louis Dolgoff lost the first love of his life to brain cancer. Today he talks about this loss and how he found a way to make sense of it all. Louis put his love and knowledge of craft beer to work, building the Beer for Brains Foundation that has raised more than $200,000 for brain cancer research.
“It’s all in your mind. You can make it a good day or bad day. I choose to make every day a good day.”
Louis and Laurie met at the young age of 16 and 17 when they were camp counselors. They dated for eight years, went on to college together and then married. A marriage that lasted 30 wonderful years.
After moving to Phoenix, to their dream home, Louis and his wife enjoyed just being together.
They always loved the same things. Both were pescatarians. Both loved craft beer, only the best. They loved tennis. Louis was a professional player. They knew each other so well.
Louis describes their relationship saying, “their antennas were lined up”.
One day his wife came home after falling. Within months, she began having terrible headaches. When she couldn’t take the headaches any longer, they found themselves at the emergency room. Laurie was diagnosed with a mass in the back of her brain. She had stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, the worst form of brain cancer.
After her surgery, the surgeon said he got as much of the tumor as possible. But, according to Louis, with this type of cancer, if only one cell lives, the cancer comes back. The average life span is one year.
Laurie lived for two years always thinking she would beat her cancer. In her second year she eventually lost her ability to walk, talk, move.
Louis just couldn’t understand why this was happening. The love of his life. It seemed cruel. His wife kept reassuring him she was going to be okay, but Louis felt differently. He kept waiting for the cancer to return. He kept thinking that the “odds were against us”.
When the cancer did come back, she had eight tumors. Louis and his wife went to Wisconsin for a
clinical trial, even though insurance refused payment. The trial did not work, and Laurie was given one year to live.
Through his wife’s illness, Louis’ perspective about life changed. He chooses to make every day a good day and he tries to see the positive. And he continues helping people.
His journey into craft beer making started back in Baltimore when he and his wife went to a small restaurant where they tasted their first Belgium beers. They loved it.
Then in Delaware, they walked into a local brew pub, and even though there were no customers, Louis says, “the beers were amazing”. They started helping the owner at various festivals. After a year, Louis offered to “work for beer” and started helping Sam Calagione, now a world-famous rock star in the craft beer business. Louis specialized in doing big events all over the US. He also opened New York, New Jersey and Southern California, eventually bringing craft beer to Arizona.
When Laurie’s final days were near, she could barely move. In 2009, on her 55 th birthday, Louis gave her a small party with friends. Louis was ready with Laurie’s two favorite craft beers. After taking sips of both beers including a potent raspberry Dogfish Head Fort, her favorite, Laurie quietly closed her eyes and slipped into a coma. Louis knew she was done fighting. His wife passed nine days later. Louis was by her side.
Through the pain and sadness, Louis knew he couldn’t help his wife anymore, but he could help others.
The Beer for Brains Foundation was a way to honor his wife. He wanted to bring people to fundraising events that would not otherwise come to support a brain cancer fundraiser.
His events gave him a reason to keep moving forward.
The craft beer world supports Beer for Brains Foundation by donating thousands of dollars annually just as the beer community continues to help and support each other. Brain Cancer is a horrible disease that takes everything, rather quickly.
The statistics are shocking. According to Louis, brain cancer is now the number one cancer in kids. It is also the second most common cancer in males age 21 – 39. Unfortunately, the progress for brain cancer patients has not improved since the 1960’s and today the patients are living only 2 weeks longer than in the 60’s.
Louis encourages others, “don’t lose hope… you need that (hope). Don’t just sit there and wait for the person to die”. He says there are more clinical trials now than when he went through the disease with his wife so keep trying.
By moving forward, Louis Dolgoff has allowed himself to meet someone amazing and find love again.
“You have to enjoy every minute with your loved ones.” And he reminds us, “to make each day
important.”
The post How a Craft Beer Maker is Joining the Fight Against Brain Cancer appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Lea Haben Woodford, CEO of SmartFem Media Group, proves it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. Woodford began her dream career at age 50. She has had an incredible journey that changed her life.
Diagnosed with cancer in 2011, Lea Woodford had surgery to remove cancer from half of her face. She endured 11 hours of surgery not knowing what was to come.
“I had some pretty dark thoughts, I had a Glock 23 in my closet and it was loaded,” Woodford says. “Right after my third reconstruction I was served with divorce papers and it was just a really dark place.”
Woodford’s business partner, now husband, helped her to re-focus by directing her attention to her business SmartFem Media Group.
“The more I focused the more I realized, even now in 2017, women really have to be vigilant.” Lea Woodford says. “I really found my purpose.”
Woodford’s daughter played a major role in her new found business success. Her daughter called her out, so to speak, and told her she was not being true to the way she raised her. Woodford’s daughter said the columns Lea Woodford wrote were incongruent with her true views.
From then on, SmartFem was created. It started out as a magazine for women but as the world changed, Woodford says they added video and other tools. SmartFem has evolved into a multi-media marketing agency.
“I have an amazing team and I did not do this on my own,” Lea Woodford says. “As you learn new skill sets and you build your team you find new revenue streams.”
Lea Woodford says her main goal is to help women go further and to help women be more mindful.
Lea Woodford has changed her outlook and perspective on life while writing her book. SmartFem will soon be featured in major airports and luxury hotels.
“Don’t put an expiration date on yourself, I got married at 52,” Woodford says. “I also found the career of my dreams.”
The post How the CEO of SmartFem Media Group Made Her Dreams Come True – At The Age of 50 appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Rising country music star and fifth generation local Arizona boy, Austin Burke, has overcome some hard times. His dreams are finally coming true. An up and coming new artist in Nashville, he recently signed with the William Morris Agency.
Burke and his family struggled with financial issues when he was younger. His father, Shawn Burke, says they were just living day to day after his business got caught up in the real estate mortgage crisis. As the years continued, everything was taken away but their family.
“It was tough to see my dad so down and my family so down,” Austin Burke says. “I really found music in that moment and in that time. I started writing songs that meant a lot to me and that was sort of a way for me to let out how I felt.”
Music became Burke’s outlet.
During that time, he spent time in his room just writing songs and learning to play the guitar. Burke says he didn’t realize how bad things really were for his family, he just appreciated the little things. He says living in a small house with his family were some of his best memories.
At just 4 years old Burke sang the National Anthem at major sporting events and performed at Country Thunder. His father was always there by his side.
When he was ten, Burke decided to leave music for baseball, again with his father’s blessing and support.
“My generation, we’re dreamers.” Burke says. “My parents always allowed me to dream and whatever it was, they always supported me in that.”
Austin Burke finally made his way back to music moving to Nashville when he was 19.
While working at a high end restaurant, he focused on writing music and making connections. Burke successfully created a community that would support him and says, “I’ve always been in it for the long run, I’ve never wanted this instantly because I know that’s not realistic.”
His patience paid off when the executives and music connections he had cultivated got his music on Sirius XM and Spotify.
Austin Burke’s single “Sleepin’ Around” has now received over one million streams. Still he remains humble, and is grateful for all that has happened.
His life journey has allowed Burke to cross paths with some famous country music stars. He first met Garth Brooks at a Padres game at age 4, and then the two met again at his restaurant in Nashville. Burke was amazed when Garth Brooks not only remembered meeting him but he remembered it was in Peoria, Arizona in 1998.
As Burke’s music career rises, he keeps it real and says, “I love God, love my family and love music, in that order. I am just a normal guy with a dream and if I can do it others can too”.
Austin Burke learned his life lessons of love and acceptance from his Dad.
“I feel so blessed to have these tools God has given to me. I’m waking up every day and loving what I do. To me, I am successful because of that.”
Once again, Burke is back in Arizona to play at Country Thunder. His music career now coming full circle.
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“Never did I think I’d be showcasing health and hope in a bikini — as a grandma!” Angela Doonan beat cancer and lost 100 pounds. She talks to Carey about how she lost the weight and had a total life transformation.
Today we hear her incredible story about being a two-time cancer survivor and mother.
Angela’s daughter was born with a rare brain disorder, Joubert’s syndrome, which left her daughter, Samantha, needing total care, wheelchair bound, and non-verbal. Angela said when she had her daughter she fell in love and decided to give her the most amazing life possible. Samantha’s laughter “would light up a room. She was full of life and personality.”
During this time and at only 26 years old, Angela was diagnosed with inoperable non-Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma. Her only choice, she says, was to fight. She was a mom and that’s what she had to do. Her son was just 7 and her daughter only 4. Fighting meant Angela would be left with significant kidney issues and heart failure from the treatment, but she had kids and had to keep going.
The hardest thing Angela had to face as a parent was not being able to help Samantha when she went into complete renal failure and was given three months to live. Angela couldn’t “fix it”. It was only much later when she would realize, “We all have purpose. Our lives continually touch each other.”
Her darkest day was losing her thirteen-year-old daughter on April 2, 2006.
During this time, Angela was dealing with all the effects of chemo from her own cancer fight. She was struggling with obesity, high blood pressure, heart failure, a thyroid condition, fatty liver and other health conditions from her treatment. And she was diagnosed with cancer – for the second time.
After losing her daughter she didn’t have the desire to fight.
But when Angela closed her eyes, she would see her daughter and think, “how dare I”? She thought of Samantha and the challenges she had bravely fought for thirteen years. Angela said she would visualize and remember how much her daughter loved her.
It was her daughter’s love and encouragement that made her get up, not give up.
With failing health, Angela decided through her tears to keep going. She started by walking, then hiking, then lifting weights. She slowly became a showcase of health as a bodybuilder… as a grandma.
“Now I am healthy from the inside out.”
Angela started grazing, eating smaller meals throughout the day. She made small changes, replacing fruits and nuts for sugary sweets. She learned as she went, researching on the internet, and lost over 100 pounds. In 2014, her angiogram showed her once failing heart had actually created new natural bypasses.
Angela had learned health redemption.
She had taught herself how to eat and to move every day.
“Exercise is a powerful medicine’” says Angela. She feels strong emotionally, great physically and is blessed to be able to share her story with others. She believes everyone can be stronger, together, by sharing their stories.
Now cancer free and healthy, Angela Doonan has a powerful story to share with others about a
mother’s love.
The post A Total Life Transformation Is Possible with Angela Doonan appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Tyler Butler, founder and principal of 11Eleven Consulting, talks with Cary Pena about being fearless and authentic. She helps companies like Microsoft and GoDaddy create more community connection.
Butler is a trail blazer in corporate responsibility.
“It is a full circle view about being a playmaker in society and doing something for the betterment of the world”.
Working in non-profit for years gave Butler the opportunity to see the challenges charities face in the community. It was during that time she saw corporations “making a strategic, conscientious effort towards how they give back”.
A go getter and fearless, Butler was offered a position with Microsoft, a company she believes to be one of the most philanthropic in the world. She became noticed when she he successfully helped Microsoft role out a new program, One Microsoft, designed to give the company a positive presence in the community.
Butler was then recruited by GoDaddy where she reinvented the companies’ philanthropic efforts.
Butler focused on aligning their giving with their business. She launched programs to engage their employees with volunteerism. GoDaddy embraced the programs which offered paid time off for volunteerism, grants and donation matching, fundraising , in-kind support, as well as the support of global efforts. GoDaddy became recognized as the place to work.
Community programs that are launched need to align with your business explains Butler.
Successful companies find something in common between their company values and the mission of each non-profit they choose to align with. Tyler Butler studies company cultures. She knows each company is unique so each program launched should be unique to them.
“Positive sentiment is an authentic part of a good corporate program,” says Butler.
Look at Zappos, who recently partnered over the holidays with Animal Welfare Leagues across the country , and Toms who created a powerful business model with their One for One campaign giving a pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair of shoes they sell.
Butler’s mantra she says is to “live fearlessly”.
Her childhood was nomadic moving every few years. She says her biggest inspiration in life is her mom.
As a working mom, she always found time to be involved with her children. Even though she had a rare heart disease, she has never let her health get her down. Butler says her mom continues to be a daily inspiration for her.
Butler’s mom instilled in her children, “You can do anything you believe you can do”.
This mantra has helped Tyler Butler live fearlessly.
Butler says it is important to choose a cause that has personal meaning, where you have a personal connection.
She most admires Bob and Renee Parsons.
Both live a life of philanthropy. Butler looks at Bob Parsons as a hard worker, successful, driven and someone who lives life on his own terms. She says he gets involved in causes that are close to him.
So what’s next?
Butler is now working with Frontdoors Media as a fashion and society contributor with a focus on where fashion meets philanthropy.
Recently she interviewed American Television Producer, Ally Hilfiger, and Designer Zang Toi who were in town to support the Focus on Lyme Event.
And… Tyler Butler will continue to be fearless saying, “I’m just very grateful. Every day is a blessing. Hard work really does pay off.”
The post How To Be A Playmaker in Society and Build Community appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Radio star, Johnjay Van Es, has been targeted by bullies throughout his life. Recently he became a target once again. “I had several bullies all throughout my life, all the way up until last week.” Johnjay says. He is teaching his three children to have thick skin when it comes to bullies. He was bullied by kids growing up, and always tried to react with a joke to make the bullies laugh. “My self-defense mechanism is to try and make people laugh.” Johnjay says.
Johnjay Van Es was recently targeted by a radio show trying to publicly humiliate him. They attacked a picture of Johnjay with botox and called him a monster for publicly sharing his botox experiences. “If you can do something that can make yourself feel better, I’m all for it.” Johnjay says. Johnjay is very public about his image and what methods he uses to better himself.
The radio show bullied Johnjay, but he didn’t let it get to him. He played the clip of that radio station attacking him on his show, and made it into a joke by relating the situation to Beauty and the Beast. He tried to turn a clear case of bullying into a joke, just like he used to with the bullies of his childhood.
Johnjay Van Es believes bullies stem from broken homes, and if you have a loving home you are more inclined to be positive. He says his parents had a large impact on his positive outlook today. “You got to realize, that kid’s life at home probably isn’t that great and try to look at it from their point of view.” Johnjay says about bullies.
Johnjays’s entire life is about making sure his children grow up with integrity, character, and that they are just good people. He says, “My family, we try to make sure we leave an impact, we try to do something positive every day, we try to love up.”
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Teri Bode, former Cardinals Cheerleader turned second grade teacher, has overcome obstacles of cancer, and fights every day to defy the odds with positivity and living an intentional life. She says, “Being positive completely changes the way you feel internally and the way you look outside.”
In 2000, Teri Bode was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after surgery she was told it was all clear, but two years later it came back. She had surgery once again and started treatments. “I was confident with the doctor telling me that was it, and that was it for 10 years, then it got a little crazy in my life,” Bode says.
10 years after her second surgery, Teri had unbelievable aches in her back for weeks, and it wasn’t until she collapsed and became incredibly ill that she went to her doctor. “I always thought breast cancer was limited to your breasts – a lot of women think breast cancer is limited to your breasts – when you go through this you realize that’s not the case.” Teri Bode says.
Her doctor told her the cancer had spread to her spine, ribs, collar bone, skull and she had nine compression fractures which was causing the pain in her back. Teri was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that was incurable.
“When you get diagnosed with cancer it’s a scary thing. When you are told years later that it is growing and spreading, you immediately think, death.”
During her cancer treatments, Bode had double pneumonia and went into a coma for four days. The doctor told her family she might not wake up.
Bode did wake up and she had a new positive outlook – she was ready to fight her cancer head-on.
Teri Bode navigates her incurable cancer journey through positivity and selfies.
“It wasn’t until I realized and told myself, okay this is my new life now. This is what I’m going to have to do. I’m going to have to take it almost like a job that I’ve got to go to and do what is necessary to work at life and keep going.”
Teri Bode still loves life, she just had to learn to love life differently. “Life is precious,” she says, “and we need to stop taking the little things for granted. Take each day as a blessing.”
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Founder of Pro Athlete Advantage, Matt Phillips, says the world’s greatest leaders have one thing in common: Mental Toughness. Phillips teaches athletes and business leaders around the country to have mental toughness.
As a former athlete turned entrepreneur, Matt teaches people mental toughness by beginning with their core foundation. His concept, called ‘Build your Stand’, is based off a book called Navy Seal Ethos. “I set that foundation with everybody.” Phillips says. “The principals and values that are driving our life, what are the actions and behaviors that are driving our daily decisions. Let’s make sure that core is there because then we can start building from there.”
Matt Phillips says in the sports and business worlds, the mental side is a big factor. Everyone has the ability to be mentally tough, but most people don’t know how to act upon it. Phillips talks with his clients about how to set up for success, and their goals. He says the power of thinking is very important.
Phillips believes getting up 15-30 minutes early every day will improve your life in a positive way. He says, “If you start looking at what you’re doing with your morning and you fill it with things that energize you and get you excited and fired up and you accomplish something during the morning and you walk in the office confident, focused, emotionally in control, calm and your day starts out unbelievably well.”
Matt breaks down mental toughness into four different areas: Confidence; Focus; Control; Perseverance.
“I have put a tremendous amount of effort into myself, developing my mental muscle, my mental toughness in the business world.” Phillips says. “I get to see people reignite that flame inside them, I get to see it be lit.”
The post The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong with Matt Phillips appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“Starve the ego feed the soul.” Tony Felice says.
Tony Felice is an expert on how to build a better brand and is the Founder of a Phoenix based Brand and Marketing Firm, Felice and Whitney. Before becoming a huge success Felice had an unexpected battle with a health mystery that nearly took his life.
Felice was diagnosed with Lyme disease after a two year struggle of specialist doctors telling him there was nothing wrong with him. He battled with depression, weight problems and even thoughts of suicide.
“To the point where your convincing yourself to hang on for the next moment, not the next day but the next moment.” Felice says.
When Felice finally received his diagnosis of Lyme disease he felt a wave of relief. With this disease, he still has symptoms but now he has an answer.
“What you put your attention on, it grows.” Felice says.
Felice says his medical condition was a gift because it pushed him to grow. He took a hardship in his life and manifested it into something amazing.
His firm, Felice and Whitney focuses on Authentic brand building, which means telling the truth.
“If you have courage and compassion, then you’re going to go real far.” Felice says.
Felice explains if you are going to have courage and compassion, you have to push your ego way down. People need to identify their “why”. People need to have that reason why they are doing something.
Personal brand building is also very important at Felice and Whitney because it shows what kind of person you are and what mark you will leave on the world. Felice focuses on personal brand building by staying true to your own life. Social media is very important and can show a lot about a person and their personal brand.
“Understand who your audience is, so your more impactful, be true to who it is that you are and be mindful of that everywhere especially online.” Felice says.
If you have symptoms of Lyme Disease please go to www.lymedisease.org/arizona
The post Use Adversity To Make You Better with Tony Felice appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“When our brains are happy, when they’re relaxed and mindful and focused, we perform better.” Joelle Hadley says.
Joelle Hadley-Alexander, President of the Culture Coaches, has all the tips for living a mindful, happy life and shares her tools to maximize the time you have by being intentional.
Hadley had “re-potted” herself as a Culture Coach after being the in the media for many years. The idea of culture came after her father passed. She then began soul searching and realized she wanted to create a great place to work, where work and fun were core values.
“I focused on creating a great place to work. What do the employees want? What do you need for resources? What do you need to succeed? Then I provided it. We worked hard but we had a lot of fun.” Hadley says.
Emotional intelligence is a key in being happy. Hadley explains two main factors of emotional intelligence; Resiliency and Authenticity. Resiliency is the ability to get back up after something really tough and Authenticity being human and being imperfect.
Hadley teaches work places how to be authentic and be less stressful. She says that getting out stress at work helps control impulses. A good way to combat stress and negativity is Hadley’s Four Letter Tip:
S.O.S.S.
S- Stop the thoughts that make you angry.
O- Oxygenate, taking deep breathes. (Hadley says yoga helps her)
S- Strengthen your heart. (thoughts of gratitude, happy places, lowers stress hormones and increases an anti-aging hormone called DHEA)
S- Seek information; ask good questions. (get curious instead of getting frustrated)
Hadley says she is very conscious about doing things that release happy hormones. Creating mindfulness can be made from small moments such as quiet time for a few minutes a day. The little rituals throughout the day, such as taking a break, that build up instead of doing something impulsive.
“You don’t have to move to an island, you don’t have to quit your job,” Hadley says “It’s not a major change in your life.”
The post More Productivity, More Happiness With Joelle Hadley appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“Believe in miracles because they happen and they’re real.” Tim Hattrick says.
Tim Hattrick, KNIX Morning show host, stays positive in the lowest points, even after loosing his entire life savings.
Hattrick started his career knowing exactly what he wanted to do ever since a young age, he wanted to be a radio host. He was a well-known radio personality in the Valley with his co-host and friend Willy, on KNIX. Hattrick and Willy worked together on different shows for about 25 years and had become close friends.
“I can’t believe we had that much success for that long, because we really just had a great time. We were just like two buddies who talked to each other and people seemed to like that.” Hattrick says.
After being at KNIX for 10 years, Hattrick and Willy had decided they would venture out create their own company, using all of Hattrick’s retirement savings. He says it was fun and they could make money but after awhile they decided it was time to pull the plug in 2014. The two friends split ways and Hattrick was left with an empty retirement savings.
“I was never scared.” Hattrick says. “I thought, I’ll find a job.”
Even after loosing it all, Hattrick never gave up on applying to jobs. He applied to 1000 jobs in 4 years. Being humbled by the lack of job opportunities, he decided to take part time jobs such as Uber, Amazon and UPS.
Hattrick was inspired by the stories he heard while driving for Uber, amazed by the capacity of Amazon and was intrigued by his experience at UPS. Hattrick always kept a positive attitude.
“If you kind of keep your eyes open for the interesting and different parts of life around you, it kind of sustained me that way.” Hattrick says.
While on a shift for UPS, Hattrick received an interesting text from the Vice President of KNIX and was later offered a position back at the radio station.
“I knew it was right in my soul and I said I’m in no matter what.” Hattrick says.
Hattrick believes he gravitated to things he liked even though they weren’t his dream job. Using your skills and staying positive can lead you in the right direction.
“I’m inspired by people who made it, lost it all, made it again.” Hattrick says.
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“It starts with YOU!” Luke D. Kayyem says.
Luke D. Kayyem, master lifestyle coach hasn’t always had the easiest life but he has changed his own life and many others by showing people they can become anything they want to with purpose and passion and positivity.
Kayyem’s recent trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro was very powerful and impactful, he says. He was at the top screaming “Daddy made it!” to his kids on a video. He says it’s emotional because of the positivity he is able to deliver.
Kayyem says he wasn’t always this positive person, but he turned his life around. Kayyem says if you want to change anything, it starts with you.
“You cannot blame things on everyone else.” Kayyem says.
Luke D. Kayyem has 8 tips to show up to find your passion and purpose in 2017:
- LOVE, Kayyem shows men that they need to show love for the people they care about and let them know by saying “I love you.”
- REFLECTION, You have to look inside yourself for more. This is where we celebrate victories and look back on our life.
- INTENTIONS, Always have true intentions. Kayyem says you have to show up.
- AWARENESS, Be aware of people around you and where you are.
- PURPOSE, Purpose can be painful or hard to accept. Realizing your purpose can be powerful.
- MINDFULNESS, Mental observation is achieved through quiet time. Kayyem describes this as an adult time-out to find mental perspective.
- MOVEMENT, Exercising or getting out and moving.
- DEVELOPMENT, Find ways to develop your own knowledge. Knowledge is power. Make sure to read, watch, listen and look.
“There isn’t a single thing you can come up with that should stop you from achieving what you want.” Kayyem says.
Watch Luke D. Kayyem’s Facebook Live and visit his website; lukekayyem.com
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Coach Darlene Santore’s (Coach Dar) life was flipped upside down when she suffered a stroke at age 25 but she learned to talk positivity back into her life and now teaches others to do the same.
From the mental game to the physical game, Coach Dar realized she was going to have to start taking the advice she was giving to her patients and apply it to her own life.
After the stroke, finding out she would never have children and later on, a divorce, Darlene Santore fell into a deep depression and numbed her pain through work.
“When I actually stopped, that’s when it hit me.” Darlene Santore says. “From the mistakes I had made, to the trials I had gone through and for the first time I had felt what depression had felt like, I couldn’t get up.”
This is when Darlene Santore realized she needed to turn her pain into purpose and positivity. She received a message on her phone that was a real turning point for her. The message read: God did not put you on this earth to isolate or go back to old ways.
“I got back up and I started going and I’ve never looked back.” Darlene Santore says.
Coach Dar has taught people such as professional athletes and celebrity stylists to move forward and build confidence. She also helps people find their “why” or purpose.
“Your brain believes what you tell it,” Darlene Santore says. “Tell it things that will bring joy and courage and success to your life.”
Looking back won’t serve you, Coach Dar says. Looking back should only fuel you to go forward. Darlene Santore speaks to large crowds and teaches positivity in many different ways.
“I feel grateful because I get to live out my purpose everyday.” Darlene Santore says. “ When you can live in your purpose, it’s the most fulfilling feeling.”
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Jane McCann’s son was diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD. McCann was seeking a solution that didn’t involve medications.
McCann first learned about mindfulness while in labor for 35 hours without medication. She had to allow mindfulness to overcome her through the harshest of times.
“I have never experienced as much control as I had at that time.” McCann says.
Jane McCann has since taught her son mindfulness to set him up for success in school, work and the rest of his life. Since the time McCann gave birth to her children she has known mindfulness would be a big factor in her life.
“You can tone everything down, you can self-regulate.” Jane McCann says. “Everyone has to regulate with-in the family.”
Jane McCann’s son was showing signs of ADHD in school and after receiving McCann’s son’s diagnosis and seeing the side effects of the prescription, McCann decided to use mindfulness as a tool to help her son overcome obstacles instead of prescription medication.
“There’s 286 known side effects to ADHD medication, that study has just come out.” Jane McCann says. “Side effects are very real.”
McCann says because she didn’t want to use the medication, she couldn’t do nothing. That is where mindfulness comes into play. McCann says you have to be responsible if you don’t use medication, you have to find other ways to find a solution such as mindfulness.
She advises to take a closer look to anyone experiencing signs of ADHD because it could be something else manifesting. McCann says according to research, ADHD is usually a symptom of something deeper.
Jane McCann says her son has learned how his brain works and how he reacts in certain situations because of mindfulness.
Jane McCann says mindfulness is giving back control into the family.
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“At the end of the day only we know what we are capable of, it’s important that everyone spends every day on this earth finding their purpose and intention in this world and really living full out.”
Jessica Starr, founder of MusEffect, defied the odds in her own life and created a social movement that has gone viral. She talks to Carey about overcoming fear and living a purpose driven life.
To watch the video we mention in this podcast, see below:
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A 7 year old’s fight for life inspires people all across the country. In this interview, Carey talks to Melissa Mazzella DeLaney a successful political operative, about finding new focus and meaning in life after her daughter, Anna, came down with a mysterious illness. It showed this family exactly what they are made of.
If you or someone you know is facing a challenge and could use some strength and inspiration, watch and share this show.
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“It just reinforced how I always lived my life. Carpe Diem … seize the day. And that is what I firmly believe.”
A family health crisis led to some major, life changing decisions for former TV News Anchor Tara Hitchcock. In this interview, she talks to Carey about leaving her job as a morning show anchor, a near-death scare, and the search for her step-son’s birth mother — why she felt she had to find her on Facebook. The post Learning How To Seize The Day with TV Host Tara Hitchcock appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“If we don’t get uncomfortable sometimes in our day to day life, when things do get uncomfortable, we don’t know what to do.” Master Lifestyle Coach Luke Kayyem talks about how we can shake out of our routines to find more strength and inspiration.
Luke joins Jesse Holland who shares his personal story of injury, depression, weight gain then a total transformation.
If you or someone you know needs some motivation, watch and share this show!
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She built and sold a company by the age of 30. How? Codie Sanchez Baker talks to Carey about her rise as an entrepreneur and the 5 things she thinks every success-minded person needs to do. Codie prides herself on building things people say aren’t possible. If you or someone you know needs a little motivation to stop being afraid, get a plan and go for it, watch and share this interview! The post The Struggle Doesn’t Have To Be Real with Codie Sanchez Baker appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“He is a scumbag of the highest order.” Republican Strategist Marcus Dell’Artino sounds off. He joins Democratic Strategist Barry Dill to talk about Anthony Weiner, emails (and more emails), the FBI … and what could happen on election day that scares them the most. The post ELECTION 2016: BATTLEGROUND ARIZONA appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“Setting goals, in my view, is the most important thing a person can do.” The former President of ASU, Dr. Lattie Coor, talks to Carey about climbing Mount Kilamanjaro on his 80th birthday with the Valley based K2 Foundation. They help people from all over the world push themselves to the limit, despite disabilities, fears, age, or condition. If you are doubting yourself or need some inspiration, watch and share this episode!
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In this episode, Carey Pena talks to Armando Contreras, the President & CEO of UCP National, and Corey Anne Lumen, an Ambassador Family for UCP of Central Arizona, about the mysterious medical condition that her daughter, Isabella, faced at a very young age.
The Lumen’s feared Isabella ‘Bella’ would never walk or talk, until they were advised to seek help from UCP of Central Arizona. Even though Bella’s doctor was reluctant, the Lumen’s persisted and sought a second opinion that has changed her life and her future.
Bella’s dad had been reassured by the pediatrician that everything was okay, but her mom was concerned that her daughter’s markers seemed delayed, and paranoid something was wrong. She just wasn’t hitting her growth benchmarks.
Overwhelmed and concerned, Corey Lumen kept pushing and finally got a referral to UCP. She wanted answers.
Through the evaluation at UCP, Lumen’s concerns were validated.
According to UCP President & CEO, Armando Contreras, “It is really important for families when they go through this initial process – an infant, not knowing that they are making their milestones, that they reach out to us (UCP)”. He goes on to explain that at UCP, ”the children are not just patients, they are family”. The staff at UCP are educated, experienced, and caring, and because of them, miracle stories happen.
UCP believes every child (person) should be “valued and respected”. They work with patients with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism, Developmental Delays and Learning Disabilities.
Currently serving about 3,800 children, teens and adults with a variety of challenges, UCP of Central Arizona is doing a lot of groundbreaking work.
Contreras explains that at their early learning center, the children at UCP are integrated with “typical” kids, children society deems normal. Through this integration program, their young patients are able to start kindergarten more confident and meeting their milestones a lot quicker, and the “typical” kids involved in the integration program become advocates, standing up to the bullies.
This is a win-win for everyone.
At 18 months old, Bella Lumen became part of the UCP organization. She was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder which would affect her eating, speech, movement, and low muscle tone.
“Scary, obscure, and crippling.” their daughter’s diagnosis left this family in search of a miracle and afraid for her future.
UCP of Central Arizona provided the answers, treatment and support the Lumen family needed.
After years of treatment, struggles and encouragement, Bella met her running benchmark. Bella was almost 5 years old. This amazing victory brought tears, but it was a celebration.
How does UCP of Central Arizona create a culture where every person at UCP has value? According to Contreras, “it is through their underlying goal to build trust and effective communication”.
UCP focuses on who they are serving, and they share their stories of accomplishment.
Contreras also thanks the community for stepping up… in a big way.
For more than 30 years, Circle K has exemplified “true corporate responsibility” by raising millions of dollars through their canister collections and golf tournaments. Contreras says UCP is very grateful for that alliance. Their ongoing support has helped UCP grow, expand their programs, and see more children, teens and adults.
So what is Corey Lumen’s hope for her daughter in the future?
Lumen answers, “whatever her (Bella’s) goals are, we will give her the tools and resources to get there… we don’t like the word can’t.” Lumen feels that it is their job as her parents, and adds, “You will always find the strength”.
Corey Lumen wants to let other parents know not to hesitate to contact UCP if they have any concerns with their child’s growth. UCP is amazing… and you are not standing alone.
As a human being what we all want is to feel accepted explains Bella Lumen’s mom, and she feels blessed her family found UCP of Central Arizona.
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The Modern Era of Work: How a financial company encourages employees to live their best life.
The post How a Financial Company Encourages Employees to Live Their Best Life appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
David Lux has worked amongst some of the biggest names in Hollywood as a branding and PR professional. It wasn’t until recently that he decided to leave Los Angeles behind, move back to Arizona and rediscover himself. “Don’t run from something, run to something,” David says. It was a risky decision that led to an amazing new chapter. Now happily living in the desert, David shares his Hollywood branding genius with professionals. In this episode, we discuss the top tips for business leaders to build a great brand and David explains why building a personal brand should be an essential part of your profile. The post From Hollywood PR to Roots: How To Brand Yourself Like a Star appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Carey invited both sides of the issue to talk directly to voters. Each side tries to make their case about Prop 205 which would make recreational pot legal.
A “yes” vote would allow individuals 21 years and older to privately use, possess, manufacture and transport marijuana.
A “no” vote would retain the existing law, which prohibits individuals from using, possessing, growing or purchasing marijuana unless the individual is in compliance with the Arizona Medical Marijuana act.
The post Prop 205: The Legalization of Marijuana in Arizona appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
It’s not everyday a billionaire comes to town and wants to give you money. AOL founder, Steve Case, brings his entrepreneurial pitch competition,Rise of the Rest: Phoenix, to town. In today’s episode, I talk with two of the finalists who could win $100k to fund their dream.
Also, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who has been hanging out with Case, discusses how this competition uncovers the untapped talent in startups in Phoenix and across the country.
The post Rise of the Rest: Startup Movement Stops in Phoenix appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
She suffered a stroke at age 25 and it rocked her world. But Darlene Santore didn’t stay down for long. Despite depression and health obstacles, Darlene figured out a way to turn that pain into purpose. Now she teaches others to do the same.
The post Turning Pain Into Purpose with Coach Dar appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“People can start over they don’t need to spend all of this money for credit repair.”
This is the simple message Alisa Glutz is determined to bring to the masses.
Glutz, who has worked as a mortgage banker for 14 years, started in the industry just as it was about to boom.
Prior to that, she was in Los Angeles where she had early success. Out of college, Glutz moved from Arizona to California. “Off to LA with my wishes and dreams,” she recalls.
She worked behind the scenes for HBO and Bill Maher. Then she chose love and moved back to Arizona where her soon to be husband was from.
Enter the mortgage industry.
“If we had a pulse we were going to get a house,” Glutz says of the time around 2002 when she started out in the business.
But, she says, the way business was being done began to bother her. The fact that big banks and mortgage companies were “making so much money off ignorance” didn’t sit well with Glutz.
“You can be working at Taco Bell right now and have a better credit score than Bill Gates,” she says.
Over the years Glutz found success in the mortgage banking industry helping thousands of people understand their credit and gain financial freedom. But she encountered some personal darkness when her marriage ended. The mother of two says she had to re-think her purpose.
Glutz wrote a book called “Color My Credit.” The theme ties into her personal journey having come out of darkness to find a colorful world as well as her belief that understanding your credit score is made much easier (and fun) by breaking down the categories in color.
Color My Credit recently went live on Amazon and, Glutz tells us, it is already beating out Dave Ramsey’s books as well as the best selling Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Coloring must be cool.
In addition, Glutz is holding a Color My Credit Expo October 1st in Tempe, Arizona. Her efforts are geared, in large part, toward women looking to gain personal strength and financial freedom. The goal in all of this is to Illuminate your future and color your financial legacy.
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Shattering stereotypes: A startup magazine founded by three Arizona women is gaining a huge audience with its message. Luca Magazine wants you to know it’s okay not to be perfect.
In this episode of Carey Pena Reports, the founders of Luca talk about their own personal battles against racism, eating disorders and how they are now determined to empower others to make positive change.
This month’s cover model, Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame is helping to spread the positive message.
If you know someone who needs to be inspired or lifted up, share this show. It’s all about living ORIGINAL.
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From Cheesecake to Diamonds. How Scott Berger went from baking cheesecakes to making custom jewelry, building a hugely successful fine jewelry company alongside his wife, Marla. Without ever advertising, the two built a big business and then had a life-changing thought about how together they can change the world. In this episode, the Bergers talk about how following their hearts, have led them to the Pope and the Queen of England, helping thousands of people along the way. They are creating a more beautiful world.
The post The Building Of A Brand: How A Cheesecake Chef Made It Big In The Jewelry Business. And Now He and His Wife Are Changing The World. appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Letitia Frye’s journey has taken her from being a world-class auctioneer to almost losing it all when a series of personal tragedies could have set her back forever.
In this episode, I talk with Letitia about how she overcame a major brain injury, the loss of her husband and how she faced each fear placed in front of her.
If you know of someone who needs a bit of inspiration, share this video to let them know to never give up.
The post Walking In Her Shoes: How Letitia Frye Got Over Her Fear Of Failure After Tragedy appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“She would walk in the lunchroom and the girls would say ‘oh we have to cover our eyes, you are so ugly and disgusting we can’t look at you.’”
Renee Scherzer’s daughter, a star student athlete, was in fourth grade when she became a victim of girls who were aggressive and relentless bullies. It was so bad, Scherzer says, she and her daughter would drive to school each day “praying that the girls would be nice.” Finally, Scherzer had enough. After appealing to teachers, administrators, and the parents of the bullies, to no avail, she decided to pull her daughter out of the affluent Scottsdale school (a school they had moved to be close to) and enroll her somewhere else.
“This is really a school safety issue; bullying is a school safety issue. If a child doesn’t feel safe, they aren’t going to learn. And so we need to make sure that we create a safe learning environment for kids,” says Nicole Stanton, the First Lady of Phoenix.
Wife of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, she has long been an anti-bullying advocate. Stanton’s brother, Dion, was the victim of vicious bullying at a young age, due to the fact that he exhibited qualities deemed more feminine than the other boys.
Stanton’s brother, who died of HIV at the age of 28, is the inspiration behind her foundation, The Dion Initiative, which focuses on child safety and anti-bullying.
“I started working on anti-bullying because I wanted to honor his memory and the anti-bullying was something I knew I could make an impact on,” Stanton says.
The Dion Initiative aims to have a lasting impact by closely studying what is working — and what isn’t working — in schools today, and spearheading programs that will make a difference.
Anti-violence, anti-bullying programs, says Stanton, need to be embedded in the schools, into each class and with each teacher, to create an environment where bullying is not tolerated — something the kids wouldn’t even consider.
Stanton has teamed up with Phoenix Children’s Hospital which, two years ago collected for the first time the number of ACES (adverse childhood experiences) that children in Arizona experience. Arizona, she says, ranks among the worst of all states.
ACES can be brought about by a myriad of things including bullying, violence in the home, or a death in the family.
“They have long term health consequences,” Stanton says, causing “toxic stress in a child’s life.” She points to research that shows unless these ACES are mitigated, kids experience “more cancer down the road, more diabetes, more drug and alcohol issues,” among the long list of physcial and mental health issues, which also includes a higher rate of suicide, according to Stanton.
“They need adults that tell them everything is going to be okay and watch over them to make sure they get the help they need,” Stanton says.
Renee Scherzer’s daughter did get the help she needed But, Scherzer says, they were forced to stand alone. The family says the school let their daughter down by allowing bullying, hazing, even some violent behavior to go on for months — practically out in the open.
Scherzer’s daughter is now healthy and thriving in a new school. She has even engaged in anti-bullying efforts to support other students on her new campus, which has a zero tolerance policy. It was a painful road to get here, but because the family advocated for their daughter, they were able to walk through this together and stronger.
The post Teased Over Her Arm Hair, Called Disgusting and Ugly. How A Fourth Grader Survived Her Bullies. appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“We are a country built of entrepreneurs. All of the biggest problems in the world are solved by entrepreneurs.”
Kevin J. Berk hopes he has the solution to a problem that many businesses face: How to improve customer service.
Citing a recent study, Berk says, “80% of businesses believe they are delivering great customer service, but only 8% actually are. You don’t have to do a whole lot. Just respond to people if you can.”
Berk, a serial entrepreneur who says he’s always had a deep passion for customer service, recently launched “Service Guru”, a web interface that allows customers to hold service professionals accountable.
As owner of AZ On The Rocks, a climbing and yoga facility located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Berk knows what it’s like to run a business. He also runs social media for several popular establishments, like Pita Jungle, considered one of the best at paying attention to customers.
“For every one person that complains, 26 people go quietly into the night and never come back,” Berk remarks.
One of his mentors is Jay Baer, author of “Hug Your Haters”. He cites Baer’s advice, “Respond to everyone, everywhere, every time. The number one thing in responding to a guest is speed. Speed saves relationships.”
Service Guru recently launched in Arizona. Early adopters include Pita Jungle, Alto Ristarante e Bar at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch, and a new, highly anticipated restaurant at the trendy Scottsdale Quarter called Breakfast Kitchen Bar. Berk says the owners are building it “with Service Guru in their DNA.”
“They get how important customer service is,” he adds.
It costs a fee for businesses to opt in, but Service Guru is free for employees and customers. Employees aggregate their reviews into their Service Resume, which stays with them throughout their service career. For employers, the advantage, according to Berk, is getting real-time insight as to how their employees are doing from the only people who matter, their customers.
Service professionals are rated on four categories: Appearance, knowledge, responsiveness and personality. All of the comments are public.
And while some businesses have been quick to sign on and show the world how well (hopefully) their employees are doing, others, he says, are hesitant.
“We’ve talked to a lot of businesses who have said no to Service Guru because they don’t want to know. They are in denial.”
Berk maintains accountability is what makes a business better.
Berk and his team are running a contest to put their money where their mouth is. They will award the highest rated employees from participating establishments one thousand dollars each. Two stand out customer service professionals will be selected every month leading up to a bigger prize that Service Guru plans to reveal down the road. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges.
All of this, Berk hopes, will empower customer service professionals and businesses to see how they are really doing — and improve where it is necessary.
He says you don’t ever want a customer to leave your establishment and when asked about the service use a four letter word: FINE!
Fine is not good enough for entrepreneurs like Kevin Berk. He started this venture with big things in mind. Service Guru launched in Arizona but Berk and his partners hope to take it worldwide. When asked if he was worried about taking on this — or any other — new challenge, Berk says, “Fear is the big limiter in everybody’s life. I think you just have to go for it.”
For more on service guru and the contest that is live now, visit serviceguru.com
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When tragedies happen, we have to make a choice. We can crumble. Or we can persevere. Bobbi Sudberry decided to persevere.
It wasn’t easy. She suffered one of the worst tragedies imaginable.
In 2008, Sudberry’s 17 year old daughter, Kaity, was murdered by an out of control ex-boyfriend.
At first, the Sudberrys thought Kaity’s new boyfriend, someone she knew from high school, seemed very nice. But things quickly escalated as he became angry and jealous. Her family urged Kaity to break up with him and, finally, she did.
But things escalated from there into an act of violence the family could never have imagined.
Katie’s ex-boyfriend wasn’t willing to let her go. He waited outside the family’s home with a shotgun in his duffle bag and, as Kaity walked home from school, he confronted her. She tried to escape, running down the street to a neighbor’s house, but he pulled her down off their fence, shot and killed her and then turned the gun on himself. It was 12:30 in the afternoon.
Bobby Sudberry got the call at work that there was a police situation on her street. Unable to reach her daughter, she rushed home. A short time later, detectives came knocking at the door. They were trying identify the victims.
“That’s when my world started crumbling and I knew things weren’t right at that point, so I gave the detective a picture. We didn’t know what the circumstances were. About an hour later they told us.”
Kaity is described by her family as a compassionate young woman with a loving heart. She was a high school senior just about to begin her next chapter in life at NAU — where she was planning to study wildlife sciences.
“Our lives literally shattered at that moment,” Sudberry says.
Determined to keep Kaity’s memory alive, and to help create awareness about teen dating violence, the Sudberry’s created Kaity’s Way, a non-profit that works to educate the community and students about what verbal, psychological and physical abuse looks like and how to protect yourself before it is too late. They also teach teenagers the importance of healthy relationships.
Bobbi Sudbury was shocked to learn that 81% of parents had no idea teen dating violence was even an issue.
Kaity Sudberry tried to escape the abusive relationship, but was not able to get away. Even though they tried to help, there is regret and sadness that her family will have to live with for the rest of their days. But they work to honor Kaity by spreading her compassion and love to the world.
For more on Kaity’s Way visit www.kaitysway.org
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“All of us should pay attention to our emotional well being just like we pay attention to our physical well being.”
Barbara Van Dahlen, named to TIME magazine’s 2012 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, is the founder and president of Give an Hour.
The organization, founded by Van Dahlen in 2005, has mobilized mental-health professionals to volunteer over 185,000 hours of free counseling for U.S. troops, veterans, and their loved ones.
Anyone from the military community, including parents and siblings of service members and veterans, can find a licensed provider through Give an Hour. The providers include psychiatrists, psychologists, grief and substance abuse counselors, and social workers who offer expertise on everything from treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury to school anxiety.
Currently, the network has more than 7,000 providers.
“It became very clear to me several years ago that if we don’t change the culture of mental health in our nation we will never prevent the 22 suicides a day in our veteran community,” Van Dahlen says. “We won’t prevent the 42,000 suicides in our nation. That involves all men and women — and now, unfortunately, teenagers.”
Van Dahlen only recently began sharing her personal story of mental illness in her family. Her mother was schizophrenic and her father, a World War II Veteran, tried for eight years to navigate the complexity of having his wife in and out of the hospital. Eventually, Van Dahlen’s mother became estranged from the family.
“Unfortunately in my lifetime we didn’t talk about those things in public. And I remember it causing me a great sense of shame and fear.”
Van Dahlen hadn’t seen her mother in 43 years and then recently found her in California.
She has very personal reasons for becoming a licensed clinical psychologist and launching a tireless crusade to break through the mental health stigma in this country.
The success of Give an Hour led Van Dahlen to launch the Campaign to Change Direction — a simple concept to encourage all Americans to learn the Five Signs of emotional suffering and to remove the stigma surrounding these conversations.
The campaign has seen incredible success since its national launch with First Lady, Michelle Obama, just over six months ago.
“How do we change the culture? We realized the really important first step is to level the playing field. Know the 5 signs of emotional suffering; signs that someone is hurting emotionally.”
http://www.changedirection.org/know-the-five-signs/
“We believe that as we elevate the conversation and everyone learns those 5 signs, it naturally leads to an interest in the conversation,” says Van Dahlen.
She knows the pain and heartbreak of watching someone suffer from mental illness and feeling helpless. While this crusade began with a strong focus on our Military, Van Dahlen has expanded her efforts in hopes of providing a framework to elevate the conversation and provide real solutions. She points out that the American Heart Association has done a tremendous job teaching people about the signs of heart attack and stroke. She hopes to do the same with mental illness.
All the while, Van Dahlen, now recognized as a formidable leader in this complex field, hopes to teach her two daughters that what started as a simple idea, has turned into a movement.
“We don’t know what’s in us or what we are capable of until we test it,” Van Dahlen says. “I’m really proud of the example I’m setting for my two daughters. I wanted them to see the power of one.”
The post Everyone Is Talking About The Mental Health Crisis. This Woman Is Doing Something About It. appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Show notes coming soon.
The post Political Strategist: “We’re doing a lot of talking and not much listening.” appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“If you make more choices correctly, you begin to live a life with ease and live with more joy,” says Laura Day, author, intuitive and well respected healer. Day has worked with celebrities like Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore. She works with movie studios and big companies who enlist her to help predict the future, as well as people around the world who are seeking to tap into their intuition and improve their decision making.
Day has written 7 best selling books including “The Circle” and “Practical Intuition”.
“The most press I ever got was when I predicted the credit crunch and sold all my stocks,” Day says. “I got so much press around that.” But this is not a guessing game. “Intuition,” she tells her clients, “is supported by logic. It is the mind’s ability to perceive in a way that we never thought possible.”
Day focuses on accurate, actionable and verifiable information. “One of the things intuition does is it gives you back the power,” she says. “This is an ability we all have, lets develop it and use it.”
In this episode of Carey Pena Reports, here is what you will learn:
— How to use intuition so your life runs more smoothly
—What is the one thing you should do before you go to sleep to help you achieve your goals
—How to identify your targets and goals
—The biggest mistake made with intuition that you want to avoid
—How to rule the world from your couch
For more information on Laura Day you can visit
www.Practicalintuition.com
www.laura-day.com
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“It is truly amazing how this one concept of money and asking for it put me into a stratospheres I never thought possible,” says Laura Fredricks, speaker and author of several hit books such as THE ASK and Money Wellness: Is Money Making You Sick?
Fredricks began her career as a journalist before becoming an attorney. She worked in the Philadelphia Attorney General’s Office practicing civil litigation. Fredricks began to realize that she was wining a lot of cases on cross examination. At a very early age, she learned the power of asking good questions.
Building on that early momentum and success, Fredricks took a risk and left her job at the AG’s office to focus on teaching non-profits and business people how to ask for — and receive — what they want.
“You have to believe 1,000% that you really deserve what you are asking for,” Fredricks shares. “I have people who write me and say your book, your speech changed my life.”
In this episode of Carey Pena Reports, here is what you will learn:
– What is it that makes a great question?
– How Laura helps non-profits and businesses effectively ask for support
– What is organizational structure and how can it help you achieve your goals
– Before you ask someone else for support, what questions do you first need to ask yourself
– Before making an ask, what is the one thing you can do to gain confidence
According to Fredricks, “The win is that you made the ask, not the result.”
For more information visit www.expertontheask.com
The post Game Changer: Laura Fredricks Teaches Us How To Ask For What You Want. And Get It. appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“It’s gonna get a lot worse. People should be prepared and save the barf bags from the airplane,” says Phoenix based political strategist Marcus Dell’Artino.
Dell’Artino and Democratic strategist Barry Dill both from the firm First Strategic join us for the Week In Review on a week when there were a lot of big stories.
Here’s what we talk about in this podcast:
- Donald Trump takes on a Federal Judge and unleashes on the media in a tirade that dominates the headlines.
- Trump University comes under fire as internal documents are released.
- Questions are raised about how much money Trump actually raised for Veterans.
- Hillary Clinton lashes out in a speech about Donald Trump.
- Clinton faces more questions about her emails. Will this scandal follow her to the election?
- Speaker Paul Ryan endorses Donald Trump (and takes a lot of heat).
- Democrats in California get ready to go to the polls — can Sanders pull off an upset?
- U.S. economy only adds 38,000 jobs in May, according to the Labor Department. The worst monthly job gain since 2010.
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It may seem crazy. But then again dreams don’t always make sense.
“This idea is three women who really didn’t know that this was going to happen,” says Christine Robertson, CEO of Luca Magazine.
With a background in fashion and branding, Robertson teamed up with Celestial Williams and Jennifer O’Bannon to launch Luca, a magazine that focuses on digital and social and has grown an audience of more than 50,000 followers in just a few months.
“We built this company on what we are promoting to teens and young adults,” Robertson says of their branding, which is all focused on being inspirational and empowering. “Right now the world really needs an uplifting and motivating place for teens to see the good. There is joy in everyday life.”
But Robertson admits she didn’t always see it that way.
“Four years ago I went through a nervous breakdown and I am very open about it,” Robertson shares. “My problem was, I didn’t ask for help.”
She had some deep rooted problems that had haunted her since high school.
Robertson says she was always seeking to please her family. Next came, as she describes, an abusive relationship.
“When I went through therapy I learned … everything that was thrown at me that was negative, I was carrying it,” Robertson says of her recovery (that happened when she was 30 years old). “Think of it like a brick, and I was collecting all of those bricks in a bag. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had the choice to put the bag down and use the bricks to pave a path.”
And she has surely been able to pave a path to an inspiring life: Happily married with three children, a very successful career as a businesswoman — and now the launch of a fast growing magazine.
One of the missions of Luca magazine is to share personal stories, not only of success, but also failure, pain and struggle. Really, the struggle is what makes us who we are today.
Luca magazine has teamed up early with social media stars like whippycake, Bella Weems and Pro Surfer Malia Ward — all incredible and inspirational success stories.
“We want it to be the teen voice, so we have a teen editorial staff,” Robertson says. “It needs to be from the teen perspective. What we do is look for and showcase stories around the nation or around the world. They don’t have to be a celebrity on the TV, but be a celebrity in your community.”
Robertson hopes to inspire millions with the magazine and her own personal story. One that started with a crazy dream and turned into reality.
“Don’t do the what ifs in life,” she advises. “Make a call, talk to someone and inquire. You never know who you are going to meet on the other side.”
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“You come out for an hour a day, it’s just almost like torture in a sense. You get a little crazy sometimes.” Leslie Merritt Jr. is talking about his seven months in solitary confinement. The 21 year old was accused of being the I-10 freeway shooter in Phoenix, Arizona, arrested and locked up. His face splashed all over the news.
“You live in a small little box,” he says. “It is like being in a dark hole that just keeps trying to close in on you.”
In his first interview since getting out of jail, Merritt told me exclusively that he got through his days reading books, playing games and thinking about his kids, ages 5 and 7 months.
Merritt was arrested in September of 2015 in a Walmart parking lot.
“I went to Walmart to get some diapers and wipes for my daughter and came out and they told me to get on the ground,” Merritt says.
He was accused of being a domestic terrorist — causing widespread panic on valley freeways. At the time, the fear level was so great, drivers avoided highways, and school buses took different routes. Signs were posted telling people to be careful.
“We set out to prove his innocence,” says Ulises Ferragut, a member of Merritt’s defense team.
“The reality is most defendants have to prove their innocence because our society is very suspicious of people accused criminally. We set out to prove his innocence and as we started peeling back the layers of the investigation by DPS, we came to the conclusion that not only is their investigation faulty, but upon doing our own investigation that there is no linkage [between Merritt, the gun he pawned and the shooting spree].”
Merritt says he repeatedly asked for a lie detector test when he was arrested and he has always maintained his innocence. A lie detector test was never given.
“It’s weird because law enforcement put out some sort of info memo to pawn shops in the area trying to figure out if they could get a lead,” Ferragut says. “Leslie Merritt’s weapon that he had pawned turns up as one of these guns and all of a sudden law enforcement is focusing in on this gun and suggesting this gun may have been used in some of these shootings. A case based on ballistics.”
But when the ballistic evidence fell apart, so did the case.
“The ballistic evidence was not just the center of the State’s case, it was the only evidence in the State’s case,” says Merritt defense attorney Jason Lamm. “There wasn’t a single eyewitness, there was nothing that put Leslie at the scene of any of these shootings so critical weight was put on the DPS criminalist who made that identification.”
The State then brought in an independent expert who made two major findings, Lamm explains. “He said there was no way to identify Leslie’s gun as having been the one that was used in the shootings. And secondly he delivered an absolutely fatal blow to the State when he said that he independently reviewed the work they did (… ) and he said it was insufficient to make an identification. He flat out said they were wrong in doing what they did and the way that they did it.”
Judge Warren Granville reduced the bond from $1 million dollars to zero and Leslie Merritt Jr. walked out of jail. Not exactly a free man, though.
County Attorney Bill Montgomery dismissed the case “without prejudice” meaning he is leaving the door open that Merritt may once again face charges.
“Prosecutors are not afraid of the truth. In identifying areas for further investigation, it’s a part of reviewing cases in preparation for trial. Wherever the evidence leads is where we go,” Montgomery said in an April news conference.
Dismissing charges against Merritt may be interpreted by some as a sign of a botched investigation. “If people want to draw that conclusion at this point in time, they’re certainly free to do so,” Montgomery said.
For Merritt’s part, he says he is trying to get back to life — as normal as it can be. He has resumed work as a landscaper and is spending time with his two children, although he says he is not allowed to pick up his son from preschool. Administrators, he says, have expressed concern about him being on campus and causing other parents to be uncomfortable.
When asked if he is nervous about the charges being refiled, Merritt says no. He’s not worried.
“I know I didn’t do it so I don’t see any possible way for them to bring new charges against me.”
Disclaimer: Carey Pena’s husband is a member of Leslie Merritt’s defense team. He did not see the questions in advance of this interview, nor was he given any editorial input or control.
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“Charm, communication and respect — showing people respect — just changes the atmosphere so dramatically,” says Debora Black, Chief of Police in Glendale, Arizona.
Black defied the odds to get where she is today. She came up in a male dominated industry and rose up the ranks in a way that was unexpected — at least to her.
“When I was in fourth grade this didn’t exist,” Black says. “You did not see a woman in uniform. When I graduated the academy you didn’t see a woman in a leadership position. I think it is important that we are visible and approachable.”
Black was only the second woman in the Phoenix Police Department to ever be promoted to Assistant Chief. Nationally fewer than 2% of police agencies are led by women.
This week Black joins a panel of empowered and accomplished leaders at The YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix Women’s Empowerment Series.
“Our entire goal is to get the word out about fabulous women in our community, in our nation, and really across the world that are doing work that is so impactful,” says Regina Edwards, CEO of the YWCA Phoenix.
The organization’s mission is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
In this most recent empowerment series, the focus is on “Women who Keep Us Safe”.
Chief Black talks in this episode of Carey Pena Reports about what it was like to swim against the tide while maintaining a sense of who she is as a person. She also shares insight into what it is like today being a police officer when the public turns against you.
Through it all, she says she is empowered by doing what she loves.
“Peace, purpose and passion,” Black shares. “It’s there. Just dig for it, nurture it and empower it.”
For more on the Empowerment Series you can visit http://ywcaaz.org/womens-empowerment-series
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“If you truly want to be successful and be a leader, own it,” says Kathi Miller-Miller, author, blogger and career coach.
Recently, Miller wrote a blog reviewing an online course for Concordia University titled “How To Function Above Entry Level.”
The course, she says, focuses on positive self talk and creating a plan for advancement.
“Some of us are great about speaking confidently and projecting that but not always when we have internal talk,” Miller shares. “If you want to propel yourself past entry level, you have to master positive self talk. Manage the internal and external image.”
Something Miller admits has been a struggle for her over the years as she has seen her own career journey take her from the corporate world where she was a coach, to the world of being an entrepreneur.
Miller wrote a book called “Your Journey From Fired To Hired” and now focuses on her website www.kathimillermiller.com where she blogs about career success and offers online coaching.
She says one of the biggest hurdles for people in advancing their careers is mastering emotional intelligence. This was a big part of the Concordia University course on how to propel past entry level.
“If you look at successful leaders,” Miller says, “they are in control of their emotions. They don’t fly off the handle. They don’t storm out of a meeting and slam the door. If you want to control your life, it starts with your emotions and how you react to positive, negative and challenging stimuli.”
Miller encourages people to find ways to be notable, solve problems and add value. Doing the job, she says, just isn’t enough. “Don’t sit back and wish,” she advises, “have a plan, take it to a strategy and then to action.”
Also, align your passion with your purpose.
It’s worked well for Miller. At age 50, she is just getting started.
After leaving Corporate America, Miller has crafted a career doing all of the things she loves — coaching, writing, connecting with people — and growing her own personal brand along the way. “It was a big risk and I am not a risk taker,” she says. “Oh my gosh what a wonderful reward. I am passionate in all phases. I feel truly blessed at the ripe age of 50 I have found what I am passionate about.”
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“It was the first time I had been knocked down so hard by life I wondered if I would ever be able to get up again,” says Eileen Laird of waking up in excruciating pain.
It was 2012. Laird, age 43 at the time, was hit almost overnight with the sudden onset of rheumatoid arthritis and saw her whole world turn upside down. One day she was out hiking and enjoying the outdoors, the next she could barely walk across her kitchen.
“I didn’t know how I would survive it — except you don’t have a choice,” Laird says. Feeling helpless and overwhelmed, she also found herself determined to find a way forward.
On her website, www.phoenixhelix.com Laird writes:
The conventional medical treatment frightened me as much as the disease, so I sought another option. I am eternally grateful to the internet for putting information at our fingertips and allowing me to read about the GAPS , Paleo & Wahls diets. They taught me how to use food as medicine. Before then, I had daily joint flares that were excruciating, disabling and frightening. After just one week on the diet, my flares began to lessen. 1 year later, my flares were gone.
She now focuses on the paleo lifestyle and has written an e-book called: A simple Guide to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol.
The protocol includes:
-No processed foods.
-Raw honey is the only sugar used.
-Grain-free.
-No legumes.
-No soy
-No dairy
-No refined cooking oils.
Laird eats huge quantities of vegetables and says healthy fats were essential in her healing process. Also, Laird puts heavy focus on foods that aid in digestion like kombucha.
She also writes a lot about attitude, self-love, and sleep — something that has been getting quite a bit of press recently. Arianna Huffington, Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post has a new book out titled, “The Sleep Revolution” and has been traveling the country encouraging people to make sleep a priority. Huffington says it will help keep you productively focused during the work day so you can enjoy every moment of downtime while bettering your mood.
“It is such perfect timing for her to have that book out,” Laird comments. “I think she can’t be more right. Research is very clear that sleep is directly related to inflammation. And it makes sense, our bodies regenerate, heal and repair while we are sleeping. So the less we are sleeping, the less we are giving our bodies a chance to do that.”
All of this, for Laird, was part of putting together the pieces of a healing puzzle in the days and months that followed the onset of her autoimmune disorder.
“You are stronger than you realize,” she says. “One thing that automatically happens when you go through something really hard, whether physical or emotional, it is incredible strengthening. That’s why I have the Phoenix on my website.”
She is careful, however, not to say that she is cured of rheumatoid arthritis — rather she refers to it now as a whisper in the body as opposed to a scream.
But it is remarkable to think that four years ago Eileen Laird awoke in a state of panic. She describes moments where she was crawling on the floor sobbing, wondering if she would ever again function without pain.
By educating and empowering herself, Laird has managed to turn it all around — one day at a time, one meal at a time. “I have a wonderful life now, even though is not the same one I had before.”
Laird has grown an audience through blogging, writing and sharing what she has learned on her journey using food as medicine. She lives in a small town in North Carolina, but has built a global community of like-minded people who focus on the paleo lifestyle. Her “tribe” as she calls them.
“I’m in a touch with a global community of people doing the same thing. By starting my blog and podcast, I got to get in touch with thousands of people who are doing it. And it makes you feel a lot less alone.”
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“Being able to have energy freedom is something I have always supported. We should be able to control our own destiny,” says Meghaen Dell’Artino, a Phoenix based lobbyist for SolarCity.
Dell’Artino was selected by Elon Musk’s company to fight a big battle in Arizona — a battle that is on hold. For now.
SolarCity, the state’s largest solar installer and APS, the state’s largest utility agreed to withdraw conflicting ballot plans. At issue: How Arizona can regulate rates charged to customers who generate their own power.
APS wanted to propose several initiatives to Arizona voters mandating separate rates for rooftop solar users and also regulating solar leasing companies as utilities. On the other side was a SolarCity-backed citizens’ initiative mandating that utilities pay homeowners with rooftop solar panels the full retail price for power they send back to the grid.
“I think Governor Ducey stepping out in front of that as a Republican Governor shows that he likes innovation, he likes what solar provides and is looking for a solution,” Dell’Artino says.
Arizona is one of several states in the nation trying to navigate the next step in the role solar plays going into the future, and, moreover, how much consumers are charged.
Hal Pittman, an APS spokesman, said in a statement to the Associated Press, “We’re open to engaging in constructive dialogue with SolarCity that benefits all Arizonans. Our goal, as we’ve stated, has always been to ensure fair energy policy for the state at affordable pricing for all of our customers, and sustainable solar for the long term.”
“The utility likes to say this is about solar customers paying their fair share. Solar actually helps the grid, it helps interconnection,” according to Dell’Artino.
And she also says they have polling numbers over the last 5 years showing solar is popular in this state.
When asked if this an issue that pits conservatives against liberals, Dell’Artino laughs.
“I am a conservative Republican, I own a conservative lobbying firm. I don’t think conservatives hate solar,” Dell’Artino says. “Being able to have energy freedom is something I have always supported. We should be able to control our own destiny.”
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“We gotta figure it out otherwise the Republican Party might be going away. Who knows? Either this election or next election,” says former Congressman and lifelong Republican Ben Quayle.
Quayle, who now runs a DC based consulting Firm, HHQ Ventures, joins a growing list of high profile Republicans who are either waiting to endorse Trump or who flat out refuse.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has said he will not vote for the Republican nominee in November’s presidential election. “Donald Trump has not demonstrated that temperament or strength of character,” Bush said. “And, he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy.”
Mr. Bush’s father and brother — both former Presidents — also have gone public to say they are withholding support.
And on Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan, in a stunning interview with CNN said, “he was not ready” to support Trump, but will meet with him next week.
“I know Paul well, he is a tremendous individual,” Quayle says. “And I think he is really scared of where Trump is trying to take the party. He doesn’t like the anger, bashing and vitriol.”
There is even some talk of conservatives pushing a third party candidate. An idea Quayle says he can’t get behind.
“Donald Trump is going to rise or fall on his own, my fear is if you put in a third party you are going to exacerbate the problem.”
What are Republicans like Ben Quayle waiting for when it comes to whether or not they endorse their party’s nominee?
Quayle says, for his part, he is waiting to see if Mr. Trump is willing to show that he has intellectual curiosity and a willingness to learn the issues. He acknowledges that no President goes into office with all the answers, likening the situation to “drinking from a fire hose”, but says, to date, he doesn’t believe that Trump has shown any willingness to learn.
Still, Quayle says he would never vote for Hillary Clinton — as some fellow Republicans have said they were willing to do. And, according to Quayle, she has a lot to overcome with a formidable candidate in Bernie Sanders, who he believes would fare better against Trump.
No matter what happens between the two Democrats in the coming weeks and months, the Republicans find themselves in a tailspin with no end in sight.
Quayle says, “The traditional parts of the Republican party and how they come together are essentially blown up.”
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“It’s going to get better, hang in there, it is going to get better,” says Naketa Ross. She has seen first hand how life can turn around.
Ross is the founder of a Phoenix based nonprofit called “Resilient Me”. She became fascinated with the concept of resiliency when it manifested in her life.
Tragedy was all she knew at a young age. Ross’ mother was a drug addict. She was raped and murdered; her head bashed in and lifeless body left naked on a Chicago street.
After her mother’s murder, Ross bounced from foster care home to foster care home — some better than others. She remembers one of the more painful moments at a home in Chicago when she and her sister were made to sleep outside on the porch, with the dogs.
Through the course of her journey, Ross says, she suffered physical and sexual abuse and by the time she was 18, she was angry and unsure of her true place in the world
Ross had a baby and ended up homeless. It was a turning point.
“I didn’t want her to experience what I experienced. I started to reach out which is so huge. But to reach out I had to say what I had been through.”
She began to focus on positive self talk saying over and over “You are better than this. You are better.”
“It just started making me feel better about myself,” Ross says. “I am stronger, I am better. Setting goals gave me something to look forward to because before that I was just existing.”
She was learning to be resilient — to not let her past define her future.
Ross went on to study psychology at Southern Illinois University. She wrote to the Dean of the college and ended up having her research funded so she could study resiliency on campus.
As a former foster child, Ross had a special interest in working to help kids who were traveling the same painful and lonely path. As a case manager, she realized when kids turn 18, they age out of the system, and if they are not prepared, many end up homeless or incarcerated.
Ross started her nonprofit to help foster kids prepare for their future. Because, no matter what happened in the past, everyone has the ability to create a future.
Ross’ foundation, Resilient Me, starts working with kids when they are 15 asking them “what does it mean to utilize what’s around you to meet your goals? What are the realistic steps to take to reach those goals.”
“Each person is resilient in a different way,” Ross says. The key “is finding your unique strengths and your unique talents.”
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“By the time this election rolls around in November we are going to be so disgusted by these two that nobody will care to vote and it could be the world’s lowest turnout when we are done.” That is one scenario Republican political strategist Marcus Dell’Artino from the Phoenix, Arizona based firm First Strategic sees as a very real possibility if (as it seems likely) Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off to become the next President of the United States.
With yet another night of big primary wins behind him, Donald Trump may actually be able to defy the odds makers and secure the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the Republican presidential nomination on the first ballot at the convention in Cleveland.
“If Donald Trump does not reach 1,237 we enter what is called a brokered convention,” Dell’Artino says. “What is going on behind the scenes is Cruz’s people are recruiting delegates to go to the convention.”
Ted Cruz formally named Carly Fiorina as his vice presidential running mate Wednesday — a last-ditch move to regain momentum.
“After a great deal of consideration and prayer, I have come to the conclusion that if I am nominated to be president of the United States that I will run on a ticket with my vice presidential nominee Carly Fiorina,” Cruz said during a rally in Indianapolis.
Fiorina joined the Texas senator on stage, and quickly the internet lit up with hashtags and memes.
“Ted could not be more right in what he said: There is a lot at stake, and in fact, this is a fight, this is a fight for the soul of our party and the future of our nation,” Fiorina said. “I’ve had tough fights all my life. Tough fights don’t worry me a bit.”
A tough fight seems to be an understatement in talking about what has happened so far and what is yet to come in Election 2016. Donald Trump, despite the alleged urging of his new campaign manager to be “more presidential”, is never one to back away from a fight – blow by Twitter blow.
Democratic strategist Barry Dill also from First Strategic says he remains shocked by what he calls Trumps unwillingness to soften and build bridges — especially with women and Hispanics. “Number one how to talk to women like women and not to demean them. What he is saying is women are too stupid to make up their own minds. It’s very misogynist,” Dill says.
There is still the question of the contested convention for the GOP, unless Trump can clear the 1,237 hurdle. If he does not, “It will be like watching WWF,” Dills says.
Dell’Artino adds, “The Fox News Guys are wetting their pants.”
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“10 million lives were impacted for good and I think that is really what we need to focus on.”
Darleen Santore is the U.S. Ambassador for Pay It Forward Day, which is celebrated worldwide on April 28th. It’s a mission that started 10 years ago by Blake Beattie in Australia.
“I am very blessed to be able to help represent our country, with 79 other countries, and today we all unite for Pay It Forward Day,” Santore says. “The goal is to unite everyone in kindness and impact 10 million lives for good.”
Santore has been involved in the global Pay It Forward Day effort for several years. But it’s much bigger than just one day — for her, it is a life mission.
“When you live in that zone where you have created your own personal mission and you could live that every day, it really doesn’t become anything else but that. By living in the moment, you are living in the mission.”
Santore is a board certified occupational therapist and has a background in neuroscience. She believes that we all, to a degree, have the ability to train our minds — and that’s what she spends her days helping people do. Having worked with a long list of high profile clients, including athletes and music performers, Santore says her mission going forward is to spread her playbook to the masses “in hopes that people everywhere can live their full potential.”
Her personal story is one of heartbreak and triumph. In her mid-20’s, Santore, then married and looking forward to having kids, suffered a stroke. She wasn’t able to have get pregnant and ended up later getting divorced. She had to rethink her own future. And she has done that in a bold way creating an extremely successful career as a Life Strategist, Author, Performance Coach and Motivational Speaker.
“Two things create happiness,” she says, “growth and contribution.”
Santore believes in the power of seeking out your own happiness and paying it forward whenever and wherever you can. “When you are able to share a kind word, actually spend time with someone and be present with them, it could change lives.”
For more information and the links mentioned in this podcast:
http://payitforwardday.com
http://coachdar.com/
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“I can tell you from the standpoint of the healthcare field, we have never seen this type of epidemic at the numbers we see with opiate addiction and heroine,” says Bob Vickrey, Director of the Las Vegas Community Triage Center.
Vickrey has worked with recovering addicts for decades. In fact, he is a recovered addict himself.
“When I found heroine it changed my life forever — I lost all resemblance of who I was. I became homeless and helpless. That is typical of what happens to folks who get caught up in this drug dependence.”
Vickrey considers himself lucky. When he hit rock bottom he was surrounded by people who wanted to see him get clean. That was 25 years ago. Since that time he says he’s “been able to live a wonderful life free of addiction” and he credits WestCare, his now employer, for helping him take his life back.
But things have changed dramatically since the time Vickrey became addicted to heroine. Today’s addicts, many of them, begin with prescription pain pills and soon find themselves on a slippery slope. According to a recent article published in LoHud, part of the USA Today network:
From 2000 to 2014, nearly 500,000 people have died from drug overdoses, including nearly 29,000 in 2014 alone. A majority of the deaths involved opioids. Now, the CDC estimates that 78 people are dying every day from an overdose tied to painkillers and heroin. Just last year, that figure stood at 44 deaths per day.
“We know that drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States — and that is a new phenomenon,” according to Vickrey.
In an effort to react to growing concerns about this opioid epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued new guidelines for doctors prescribing pain medication.
The guidelines, aimed at primary care prescribers, state that opioids should not be considered as first-line therapy for chronic pain and that doctors should first consider alternatives such as exercise, meditation, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
“We are experiencing an over-prescribing of pain medication,” VIckrey says. “The prescription painkiller is not always the first remedy.”
It is a tough situation for many doctors who find themselves under increasing pressure from patients seeking pain meds, and from insurance companies not always supportive — or willing to pay for — alternative treatments as a first line of defense.
Still, many in the healthcare and addiction recovery field feel this is a good first step. “I see it as a powerful tool if we can find a way to enforce it,” he says. “When we have that many people dying everyday because of an overdose, we have to take notice It’s a crisis, a public health crisis and an epidemic that we all have to go to work on.”
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“At some point I threatened to kill my partner and myself. I was put in the psych ward and
diagnosed with PTSD.”
Cleo DeLoner has a very powerful story to share. She is an Army Veteran and former police officer who sunk so deep into depression and PTSD, that she tried to take her own life.
“I took a long rifle and a loaded magazine, drove out to a river (… ) held the rifle to my face and pulled the trigger. It broke all of the bones in my face and I never lost consciousness,” DeLoner explains. “I walked around for a while and ended up driving to get help.”
Remarkably, DeLoner was able to get behind the wheel and flag down a woman for help.
“After the impact and I realized I was alive and I thought to myself — wow, I did it. Oh my God I am still alive,” DeLoner says. “I think the human spirit goes into survival mode and I started taking steps to get myself help.”
Never before had she seen someone walking on that remote road near the river 15 minutes from her home, and DeLoner says in that moment she thought the woman might be an angel.
It seems, in many ways, she was.
“I stumbled toward her kind of like the characters on Walking Dead.”
The woman drove DeLoner to the hospital and while her life was spared, there was an agonizing journey ahead.
DeLoner says she was hospitalized 32 times, endured electric shock therapy, and was on multiple psych pills. She was alive — yes, but she was far from healed. Nothing was working.
And then DeLoner received a phone call about bio-feedback and neuro-feedback therapy. She flew to Bethesda, Maryland to check it out and says it changed everything.
After 25 treatments, DeLoner says all of her symptoms, including debilitating PTSD, were eliminated and she weaned herself off of what she calls “zombie dope”, the psych meds and painkillers that she thought she’d be taking for the rest of her life.
After that, DeLoner was put in touch with AJ Richards, owner of CrossFit Mesa and founder of Rush Club. Richards, a fellow Veteran, embraced the mission of healing and welcomed DeLoner into his community of veterans and civilians who are all seeking out health and purpose in their lives.
“What we keep hearing over and over is that painkillers don’t work they just dull you until you are just done. These medicines don’t seem to be working for most people,” Richards says.
DeLoner, now a writer and public speaker, wants to share her story with the masses.
Recently Richards and DeLoner teamed up to speak to the Arizona Coalition, a group of Veterans who wanted to hear more of DeLoner’s story — and who embraced the message, “you are not your diagnosis.”
“I actually prayed to God and thanked him for not letting me die. I forgave myself for such a brutal assault on myself,” DeLoner says. “I feel a sense of responsibility to my Warrior brothers and sisters. I am living proof that there is hope that if they take that step into the light from the darkness. There is hope.”
Links mentioned in this podcast
www.deserttodesert.com
www.azcoalition.org
www.brainwellnessandbiofeedback.com
www.rushclubnation.com
Here is a poem from DeLoner’s book, “Trigger Pieces”:
I Am PTSD
I have many aliases
Soldier’s Heart
Battle Fatigue
Shell Shock
Broken
I am like no enemy you have ever fought
I control you
I own you
I insert horrific memories in your head at my beck and call
I watch you from a distance
As your eyes stare at nothing
I startle you back to reality
I freeze the most graphic images in your mind
Forcing you to witness the horror over and over again
I fuel your rage
I fuel your hatred
I take you close in my arms
Away from everyone who cares about you
I am jealous
When I have you isolated, all to myself
My relentless assault intensifies
My voice is all that you will hear
I will convince you that you are
Worthless
Guilty
A burden
Unloved and
Unlovable
I will bring you to your knees
You will try to crawl your way out of the maze of confusion
Until you collapse face down
All the while I scream at you to end it
I will drive you to a depth of darkness so deep
No amount of light will penetrate
I will envelope you in total and utter unimaginable despair
The emptiness you feel carries a thousand echoes of the suffering that I inflict
You will make futile attempts to silence me
With your pathetic pills
Your bottles of booze
You will believe that I have retreated
But I am still with you
Waiting, watching, patiently
Your staggering drunkenness
Brings you to a state of unconsciousness
You are right where I want you
I now bring you the images in full color
I add the sounds of screams
Hovering over you
I watch as you twitch
Toss and turn
Punch the air
Cling to your blankets
And scream, “No!”
I drench you in cold sweat
Forcing you to awaken sitting straight up
As you gasp for air
You don’t like to talk about me to your loved ones
Why would you want to?
How would you describe me?
Am I just a voice in your head?
Am I the monster who has taken up residence in your mind?
Better to just stay quiet
Keep this affair between us
I have convinced you that they don’t care
That I’m the only one who cares
I’ll never leave you alone
This road that we stumble down together
Is a road I walk with many
I sabotage every relationship they have
Their loved ones retreat
Leaving them lonely
They fought me
They fought hard
In the end they all succumb to me
You will to
You have embraced me without even knowing it
I have you in the corner of darkness
Providing you with an instrument of death
I have encouraged you
Guided you
Defeated you
Now I can sit back
And watch your sad finale
I Am PTSD!
Cleo DeLoner
27, Sept. 2015
1709-1811 hrs.
The post Army Veteran Shoots Herself In The Face And Lives To Tell The Story: How She Took On Her PTSD. And Won. appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“You really have to understand the steps and what you want to do. Stay focused on the steps you need to take to get there.”
Brian Burns has mastered the art of sales. He wrote the book, “The Maverick Selling Method: Simplifying The Complex Sale” to teach people how to build habits instead of looking for a “eureka moment”.
“I’m more focused on trying to teach people to understand how companies make decisions and how to manage that,” Burns says.
He built his own success by selling security products to big companies and found that he was good, very good, at sales and frequently closing, in his words, multi-million dollar deals.
“Once you understand how an organization makes a decision to change, you can determine how to make it happen.”
The greatest paradox in business, according to Burns, is that everybody is visible but nobody wants to be contacted by a salesperson.
So, the key, he says, is finding a way to connect on a personal level no matter what you are trying to sell — including yourself.
“I think you have to start with the end in mind and put yourself in their place. What would they get out of it. What am I bringing to them. Why would they care,” Burns says.
Over the past few years, he has also grown a podcast, “The Brutal Truth About Sales & Selling”.
Burns has amassed a massive social media following including more than 90,000 Twitter followers (Twitter is his favorite social media platform). He says a big part of his success is to always keep the big picture in mind.
“It does take time and it was what I wanted to do. I see my platform and my network as a journey.”
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“It’s a public health epidemic because it is linked to child welfare. Millions of dollars are lost to this issue. We haven’t uncovered the real impact, the trauma to men, women, children, and pets.”
Dr. Maria Garay-Serratos is the CEO of Sojourner Center, a domestic violence shelter in Phoenix, Arizona that is breaking new ground both in principal and in practice.
“I believe a world can be created free from domestic violence because it happened in my family and we did it by ourselves. We shouldn’t allow people to walk this journey alone,” she says. “We are developing better solutions by asking deeper questions.”
Garay-Serratos is trying to change the way people think about and talk about domestic violence. She has teamed up with the University of Arizona College of Medicine, USC, and Alliance Bank to put on a first-of-its-kind symposium, bringing together leaders in various fields to address the root causes of domestic violence, break down boundaries, and talk about intervention and treatment programs that help disrupt the cycle.
The Sojourner Center has gained national attention for its “BRAIN Program”, which focuses on women and children who have Traumatic Brain Injuries.
“20 million women are walking around with undiagnosed TBI,” Garray-Serratos says. “A lot of children are walking around in our school systems [unable to focus and learn].”
The Center has also started a pet program.
“We found that 40% of women who were in a domestic violence situation did not leave because there was no accommodations for their pet,” Garay-Serratos says.
And in situations where women did leave their animals, she says a high percentage ended up maimed, injured or killed.
“You come and bring your pet with you. It’s a pilot program that has been so successful because the demand is so immense. We are also fostering, so if you are in another facility, you can bring your pet and we will foster for you.”
The programs that Sojourner points to as successful will be discussed at the Symposium titled “A World Free From Domestic: Moving the Conversation”. It takes place April 14th.
“We have the Huffington Post, Forbes, Arizona Republic, Univision all talking about the issue. Getting it to the global level takes away the stigma and gets people talking,” says Arizona State Senator Robert Meza, who is one of the featured speakers.
Meza believes behavioral health needs to be a priority as well as early intervention.
“Getting kids at a young age will break the pattern of behavior and heal them so it doesn’t reoccur in their lifetime, and their cycle here on Earth.”
For Garay-Serratos, moving the conversation is very personal. She only recently began to open up about her personal family story of domestic violence. And, she says, it gives her hope.
“It’s been important for me to realize the significance of sharing a story and coming out of the shadows. And I learned that by sharing my unique story, I have opened up a discussion. I have brought humanity to my father who was the abuser. Let’s stop judging.”
To find out more about the Symposium, The Sojourner Center or if you need help for yourself or your family, go to http://www.sojournercenter.org
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“He still leads by a couple hundred delegates and he has the home court advantage coming up, so it should be a good couple of weeks for Donald Trump.”
Barry Dill, a Democratic strategist from the political strategy firm First Strategic in Phoenix, Arizona says a brokered convention is all but certain for the GOP.
Still, Dill says he has a hard time understanding the appeal that brought Mr. Trump to where he is today.
“In my mind he epitomizes why business people make such bad candidates. The campaign needs to become a political campaign and not Donald Trump’s empire.”
A new Associated Press-GfK poll shows seven in 10 people, including close to half of Republican voters, have an unfavorable view of Trump.
Even in the South, a region where Trump has won GOP primaries decisively, close to 70 percent view him unfavorably. And among whites without a college education, one of Trump’s most loyal voting blocks, 55 percent have a negative opinion.
Marcus Dell’Artino, a Republican strategist from First Strategic says he is shocked to see the number of people — especially women — who remain supportive. “It stuns my imagination that women aren’t more amped up,” says Dell’Artino.
Trump still leads the Republican field in delegates and has built a loyal following with a steady share of the Republican primary electorate.
But the depth of his unpopularity raises questions about how he could bring together enough support in the general election to win the White House.
It also underscores the trouble he may still face in the Republican race, which appears headed to a brokered convention where party insiders would have their say about who will represent the GOP.
Whether or not Trump becomes the nominee, Dell’Artino is bracing himself for what’s to come, “We are going to go into a brokered convention which is a disaster amongst itself.”
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“At 9 years old I was still sleeping in bed with mom and dad for fear that dad was going to kill mom.”
Addison Brown lived the first 9 years of her life in fear. Although, she didn’t realize it at the time. “I didn’t know it wasn’t normal that a dad drank 24 cans of beer a night. I didn’t know that all kids weren’t spanked with wire hangers. It’s not something you talk about as a child – that’s all you know. It’s just normal.”
Years later, she was at an event for Childhelp and heard an abuse survivor — a man who was sharing the story of his abusive childhood for the first time.
“He started bawling, and I started bawling and reflecting on my childhood and I went oh my gosh, I was abused, too.”
Brown, now a mom herself, began volunteering to help children who are walking in her shoes. She points out that child abuse is difficult to talk about because it causes so much shame.
“Some of the laws protect the parent more than the child. That is what we are trying to change here in Arizona,” says Carol Hebets, who has been working with Childhelp for 16 years.
She is the founding mother of the “Childhelp Wings” chapter, which focuses on implementing service projects and fundraisers that support the greater mission of Childhelp.
According to Childhelp, in the United States 5 children die each day as a result of abuse or neglect. A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds.
“It is heart wrenching to hear the stories. And to know that we are making a difference, it’s what it is all about,” Hebets says.
Providing a place where children in crisis feel safe and loved is a primary focus. Monies raised through fundraisers such as the annual Childhelp Wings Fashion Show https://www.childhelp.org/chapters/wings-chapter/ help expand programs like animal and art therapy along with crucial counseling services.
The sign you see upon entering Childhelp reads “All who enter here will find love.”
The need is overwhelming and urgent. Hebets says the Childhelp hotline 1-800-4-A-Child gets an average of 200,000 calls a year. The line is manned 24 hours a day with trained staff, many of whom are PhDs specializing in crisis situations.
And thanks to Childhelp, the “Speak Up Be Safe” program is now in schools across the country. It is a crucial component of the work being done — and the focus going forward.
“A lot of people don’t realize they were abused until long later in life,” Brown says. “The key is, the earlier the better. What Childhelp is doing is getting these kids the counseling and treatment they need right away.”
For more information on Childhelp you can visit www.childhelp.org
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Sunny Wright was a busy wife and mother, a highly educated PR pro married to a doctor. But her life was, in her words, a full catastrophe.
For 35 years, Wright lived as “society wanted her to live.” She was a high achiever in every aspect. Until it all came crashing down.
In 2009, Wright had a stress induced breakdown. She looked in the mirror and saw legions in her hairline. Wright had developed a rare form of the autoimmune deficiency disease shingles which came with deep depression and debilitating fatigue. She was so sick, she actually thought she may not survive.
Turns out being admitted to the hospital was the best thing that could have happened to her. Forced to stop and find some quiet within herself, Wright felt a calm that she hadn’t felt in years — maybe ever.
“I spent my life in the noise of society and I was very, very busy and suddenly when it got very quiet, my heart was telling me, you made yourself ill, you can make yourself better.”
Wright knew stress had brought on her condition. She picked up a book called Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn and began to learn how to live a mindful life.
“Mindfulness is being in this moment without judgement,” she explains. “It’s all about awareness. It’s a group of lessons where we learn to sit quietly and examine our thoughts.”
Not only did this exploration of mindfulness help Wright with her health, it changed everything about her life. “It’s been a miracle,” she says. “This is my purpose and my mission now. I can’t even recognize the person who I was six years ago.”
Wright wondered why she had not learned about mindfulness early on. She became convinced that if children were introduced to the concept, it would be life changing for them — just as it was for her.
Wright founded a non-profit organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona called Mindfulness First. The response has been incredible and one of America’s largest health care providers is now sponsoring the effort.
Wright and her team now go into schools to teach children what it is to live a mindful life: to help them develop coping skills, empathy, and focus.
“We’ve been overwhelmed in school districts. We have a waiting list of schools,” she says.
Currently they are working at a Phoenix area school, Crockett Elementary, where there is a high population of homeless and refugee children.
Each school they go in to, Wright says, the culture shift is tangible and the results are undeniable. She points to a drop in suspensions as one example.
“In every major university in America, mindfulness is being studied and the results are just conclusive at this point.” According to Wright, “It reduces bullying, violence, isolation, increases focus, grades and happiness.”
Mindfulness is actually a pretty simple concept. It is choosing to accept this very moment the way it is; not living in the past, not living in the future, but bringing it all into this moment.
Sunny Wright is determined to bring mindfulness to the masses with a focus on children who will lead the way in the future.
“I would like them to think about how we can change the world. We have this amazing capacity within our very own bodies. I believe if every child was taught this we would have world peace. There is tremendous empathy created through mindfulness.”
For more on Sunny Wright and Mindfulness First, visit www.mindfulnessfirst.org
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“I am waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and say you’ve been punked.”
Sean Noble, a Republican Strategist with the firm Axiom Public Affairs, believes that there is almost a guarantee at this point that there will be an open GOP convention.
“It can’t be Trump, he will destroy the brand. It is much better to have a brutal process than nominate Trump.”
Noble was an early backer of Marco Rubio, the establishment favorite. But the Florida Senator’s path to nomination looks less likely by the day. If he gets beat in his home state of Florida, it’s lights out.
And if Trump takes Florida and Ohio, he goes into the July convention in Cleveland, Ohio as the clear front runner — whether Republicans like it or not.
Noble remain suspicious.
“Nobody planned on Trump running. I don’t think he was all that serious. I think when he got in it was kind of a publicity stunt and I think he tapped into something with the American people that was unfortunate.”
The wealthy businessman breaks all political molds. He appeals to the masses of angry and frustrated Americans who desperately want someone to shake up our broken system.
Trump is, by all accounts, a populist and his supporters say they like the fact that he is less partisan and beholden to no one.
“He’s not even close to conservative,” Noble says. If you watched the debate last week it was amazing he could not put together any policy or substantive answer on anything. I think he’s liberal. He reflexively goes back to that opinion.”
As thousands continue show up for his rallies and voters turn out in record numbers to support him, the Trump train is running full speed ahead.
If the Republican party refuses to get behind him, the brokered convention — as much of a mess as everyone thinks it will be — appears more and more the likely scenario.
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“I always wanted to be that voice for the people without voices. I had that foundation of love that said you are special. Walk with your head up. You have so much to offer the world.”
Dr. Kellie Warren grew up in Ohio. Her family was loving, but not all of her experiences were easy. Warren was bused across town to school where she was one of the only African Americans. She was frequently the victim of racism and verbal attacks.
“They can destroy you. They are even more damaging than physical abuse at the time because once you begin to believe in the messages, they shape who you are. That journey of negative messaging happens to us a lot younger than it does for boys.”
Warren’s parents encouraged her to focus on education and constantly talked of all of her great potential.
“In those settings where people didn’t believe in me, I believed in myself,” she says. “When I look over my life, without having people believe in me, expose me to new opportunities, I could have very well been another statistic of a negative girl coming out of the inner city.”
Now, as CEO of Florence Crittenton in Phoenix, Arizona, Warren helps girls see the value and purpose in their own lives. For 119 years, the organization has been looking out for girls, empowering them, supporting them, and listening to their voices.
“We want to tell these girls that validation has to come from within. Your environment cannot be in charge of defining your worth.”
Girls as young as 10 go to Florence Crittenton, either through state services or through families in crisis reaching out directly for help. Many of the girls have histories of trauma, exploitation, abuse and neglect. At Florence Crittenton they are provided a safe place to live and surrounded by people who want to see them turn their lives around.
It’s a tough job, Warren admits. “When you have experienced a lot of negativity and have a pessimistic outlook, you are not going to change overnight.” But they stay true to the mission of safety, hope and opportunity.
And now they are getting some high-profile support from a woman who knows what it is like to walk through adversity and see the other side. Kidnapping survivor Jaycee Lee Dugard is teaming up with Florence Crittenton to share her personal story.
Several years ago Dugard wrote a book, “A Stolen Life” and now travels the country speaking about her ordeal and how she managed to put her life back together.
The kidnapping happened in 1991 as Dugard was walking to a school bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, California. She was 11 years old at the time. Dugard’s kidnapper, a convicted sex offender, kept her in a concealed area behind his house for 18 years. During that time, she had two daughters. Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, were arrested in 2009 and later convicted and sent to prison where they belong. Dugard was left to pick up the pieces of her life.
Dr. Warren says her resiliency is extraordinary.
“She is an example of not letting the oppressor win. She has decided to become a champion.” This is an important message for the girls at Florence Crittenton — and well beyond— about making choices. “As long as they still have life,” Warren says, “there is still hope.”
For more on the mission of Florence Crittenton you can visit their website www.florcrit.org
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“I think these guys see the demise of the republican party and we are watching it right before our eyes.”
Marcus Dell’Artino, a Republican strategist from the firm First Strategic in Phoenix, Arizona says this is the most politically bizarre string of events he’s ever seen.
“If Rubio loses Florida, if Kasich loses Ohio and Michigan, katy bar the door, Trumps on a run and it’s over.”
Republicans are going after one another in a way that shocks even veteran political operatives.
“I’ve never heard a candidate’s genitalia discussed. It was disappointing to say the least,” Dell’Artino remarks about the shocking developments on stage at a recent Republican debate.
As the GOP candidates continue hit below the belt, remarking about the size of one another’s ears, hands, and propensity to sweat excessively, there is growing concern over the future of the Supreme Court.
Barry Dill, a Democrat from the firm First Strategic says he thinks the real political move underway right now is happening behind the scenes with the Obama administration. Dill believes they are quietly trying to figure out how best to send up “the right person who sends the right message to the Democratic base… so that the Republicans have to be the ones, once again, blocking progress, blocking the government.”
Dill goes on to say, “The Republican play is very obvious, this is no different than what we’ve seen with ObamaCare, what we’ve seen with foreign policy intervention and everything else. The Republicans are playing the blockers of anything that Barack Obama wants to do. They are going to wait this out and hope on a wing and a prayer that some Republican gets elected President of the United States, which is, in my opinion, not looking very good right now.”
“These Republican debates and the whole Republican campaign has devolved into unbelievable stuff,” says Grant Woods, the Republican-leaning former Attorney General of Arizona.
Still, Woods says he understands the appeal of Donald Trump but lingering questions remain.
“Not to say he couldn’t be a really good President,” Woods says, “but I question a couple of things with him. I would have thought he would have done a couple of things once he achieved some early success. I thought he would tone it down just a little bit. And then secondly, I really thought he would learn the issues and be well versed. That’s baffling to me why he hasn’t learned the issues — and he’s chosen not to.”
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“Even if no one says you can do it, God believes in you. He has given you that faith and vision.”
Fitness Expert, Author and Speaker Kim Dolan Leto has walked what some might say is an improbable path. At the age of 30, Leto found herself overworked and out of shape. She was, like so many Americans, exhausted both mentally and physically. “They say sitting is the new smoking,” she says. “I wanted to so badly to have mental clarity and that was not happening at all.”
Leto had a lucrative job in pharmaceutical sales. And then a family health crisis caused her to stop and make some major changes.
“My dad had a stroke. Prior to that I had never taken care of myself. I wanted to get healthy but I didn’t know how. Seeing my dad in that hospital bed was devastating,” she explains. “He was completely paralyzed down one side and he was only 47 — the age I am now.”
Doctors thought her father’s stroke might have been caused by an autoimmune disorder called Wegener’s Granulomatosis. His health problems persisted. He would later need a quadruple bypass. In his 50’s he needed a kidney and Leto’s little brother, Billy, made the life saving donation. During the transplant, however, Leto’s father had a heart attack. At age 61, he died of a massive heart attack.
Throughout all of this, Kim Dolan Leto was inspired to transform her own life, becoming not only fit, but a fitness model.
“I am probably the oldest person in fitness,” she laughs. “I think for so long I put all of these labels on me. I had no background in fitness going into this.”
She has gone on to huge success in the health and wellness industry, making a name for herself as a woman who proudly shares both her fitness and her faith. “Without faith, fitness is just a vanity project,” Leto says.
“As a Christian, I give God all of the credit. I know that he was telling me what was causing all of that fear.”
She calls it “people bondage”; being afraid to be who you are and constantly seeking approval.
“I don’t think there is any smaller or sadder place to be than seeking approval from others.”
Her fitness success story is now the inspiration for hundreds of thousands of women. Leto is a role model and she has done it on her own terms.
Along the way people encouraged her to sell “sex” or “sexy”, to write a “Hot Over 40” book, but she resisted. Instead, Leto followed a faith based path, writing her book FIT: Faith Inspired Transformation, where she encourages women to love the Lord and themselves. “It’s not too late. You’re not too old. You can go and become your best you — right now.”
The book features equal parts fitness tips, healthy eating, and scripture. Leto outlines the path to health that worked for her: FAITH.
(F) Be faithful and specific
(A) Accountability
(I) Inspiring
(T) Timely
(H) Healthy goals
At age 47, Leto says she feels better than ever. As a mother to a young daughter, she wants to set a healthy example.
Leto’s Faith Inspired Transformation was inspired by personal tragedy. That, she says, is her “why”. It motivates her, inspires her, and keeps her walking forward in faith.
“You need to have the why. And know that you are worth it. That lasting motivation is looking at my dad.”
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“Back in 1994 I was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and conspiracy, and I was sentenced to 55 years. All was suspended but six years.”
Carolyn LeCroy is the CEO of The Messages Project, a nonprofit organization that enables children of incarcerated parents to maintain and rebuild relationships with their mothers and fathers.
LeCroy has two sons, and says she realized when she was locked up for marijuana possession, how horrible the situation really was. In her case, the kids supported her and came to visit. But many inmates, she says, are estranged from their families.
Since 1999, the project has recorded and delivered more than 10,000 video messages from parents to their children.
“Children of incarcerated parents have a lot of trauma,” LeCroy says, “they take on responsibility.”
A report from the National Resource Center for Children of the Incarcerated based at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, says:
“While many of the risk factors children of incarcerated parents experience may be related to parental substance abuse, mental health, inadequate education, or other challenges, parental incarceration increases the risk of children living in poverty or experiencing household instability independent of these other problems.”
An estimated 2.7 million kids in the United States have a parent or parents in jail or prison. For her efforts in helping thousands of those families connect, LeCroy was named a CNN Hero and honored on the national stage.
The Messages Project started at a women’s facility in Virginia, where LeCroy, an award winning film and video producer, is based. The Project has expanded to Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, California — and as far away as Malawi.
Criminal justice reform is a hot topic in the 2016 election season — especially among Democrats.
In a speech last year, Hillary Clinton said that America needs to end the era of “mass incarceration”:
“Of the more than two million Americans incarcerated today, a significant percentage are low-level offenders, people held for violating parole or minor drug crimes or who are simply awaiting trial in courts. Keeping them behind bars does little to reduce crime but it does a lot to tear apart families and communities.”
Currently, Senators are locked in negotiations over a bipartisan bill that centers around lowering mandatory minimums. It has stalled amid growing conservative opposition
Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, has voiced loud skepticism, suggesting that the legislation is based on a “false premise” that non-violent first-time drug offenders are being locked up with lengthy sentences.
LeCroy believes the legislation would be a huge step forward. “I think it is time we got smart on crime, and I think what Secretary Clinton said in her speech is right on target.”
She makes the point, as do many advocates for criminal justice reform, that keeping low level, non-violent offenders behind bars for lengthy periods of time is an overwhelming cost burden. According to LeCroy, it costs an average of $27,000 to keep a healthy inmate locked up in Virginia for a year — and she points out that there are close to 40 thousand inmates in the state system alone.
While lawmakers battle it out on Capitol Hill, LeCroy and her team from The Messages Project continue to try to unify families all across the country.
“When a child’s parent is incarcerated and a healthy connection is maintained, it reduces the child’s risk for social, emotional, and educational problems,” it reads on The Project’s website.
“For the incarcerated parent, family connection decreases the likelihood of recidivism. Maintaining and enhancing the bond between the child and the incarcerated parent through video messages and other media are the focal points of The Messages Project.
LeCroy has also recently published a book titled, “A Parent’s Message”. It is an interactive program that supports the bond between parent and child.
For more information visit http://themessagesproject.org/
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“Being able to be vulnerable and authentic makes you more desirable.”
Joelle Hadley, Founder of The Culture Coaches and Co-Founder, Southwest Institute for Emotional Intelligence, has found tremendous success teaching people how to show up and work well together.
On her website, www.theculturecoaches.com Hadley and her team list their “5 Keys To Culture” as values, legacy, structure, relationships, and communication.
Much of it, she says, has to do with emotional intelligence.
“It’s actually rooted in neuroscience,” Hadley explains. “Understanding how our brains work or don’t work when we are under pressure, going through change, or have some of these negative emotions.”
Hadley teaches people how to manage themselves under pressure so they can better connect with others.
It is especially important for businesses to embrace a positive work environment, Hadley says, as more and more millennials are demanding a fun and rewarding place to work.
“I start with a team’s values and beliefs. As a company we might assume that we know that values, but they are not always clear.”
One of the #1 drivers of employee engagement, she says, is for employees to feel valued and appreciated.
How to get there?
A crucial component is management; whether or not those people in charge lead by example in the way they handle their own stress and pressure.
“You may have good intentions,” Hadley explains. “But people judge on the impact. Emotional intelligence is the space in between. Can we manage the emotions that come up to the surface?”
There are a lot of people who are unhappy at work, and Hadley believes much of it is fear based. Fear of fighting for yourself and what makes you happy.
She works with brands and businesses, large and small, to cut through fear and tap into the happiness that she believes is possible in every work environment. Individuals get to their happy place, she says, by being alive with their “true talents and gifts”.
“When we are in alignment with our work,” says Hadley, “we can actually increase our output, we can triple it.”
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“When I let go of the package that I thought things had to show up in, the dreams came true in ways bigger than I could have even dreamed for myself.”
Former CNN News Anchor Daryn Kagan found herself on a journey that was not of her own doing. After 12 years as one of the main faces of CNN, she was told her contract was not being renewed. A shock for Kagan who had excelled in the world of sports and news broadcasting since her 20’s, rising through the ranks of local news to shine at the network level.
Kagan’s friends and family were surprised when she announced that she wasn’t going to pursue another traditional news job. In fact, Kagan says, she even surprised herself. It happened after she took some time to reflect and read — mainly self-help books.
“I saw a line that said: Create What You Seek,” Kagan says. “I was seeking inspiration. I wanted to show the world what is possible.”
Rather than allowing herself to sink into an identity crisis, Kagan began to reinvent with a focus on deeper inspiration and meaning.
“Hope is something that I have been holding on to for a long time. My story and my life has pretty much reinvented in the last few years.”
Kagan, who has written about failed romances in her syndicated column “What’s Possible”, got married. She fell in love with a single father, and the first time, Kagan says, she fell in love with more than just career. Now she was a wife and mom. “I found what I wanted to do in life, and that is being a caretaker.”
Kagan has continued her inspirational journey, writing books and publishing uplifting and positive stories on her website www.darynkagan.com
“With time even things that you think are bad, and you would have never chosen, can actually be an opportunity,” she says.
By writing about her personal journey and all of the uncertainty, searching, learning, and love she experienced along the way, Kagan hopes people will be be reminded: Hope Is Possible.
Find “Hope Possible!” on Amazon http://amzn.to/1RYBmw0
Daryn and Her Family The post She Lost A High-Profile Job And Gained Hope: Former CNN Anchor Daryn Kagan Talks About New Book “Hope Possible!” appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
(Image courtesy of JayBaer.com) “Customer service is now a spectator sport and most businesses are not prepared for it.”
Jay Baer is the Founder of Convince & Convert, a strategy consulting firm that helps companies gain and keep more customers through technology, social media, and customer service. He is also a New York Times best selling author whose most recent book is all about the haters.
Love them, he says, and love them hard.
“The most overrated thing in life is praise, because it makes you feel terrific, but it teaches you nothing. What teaches you something is criticism,” says Baer. “Every time somebody goes out of their way to tell you that you are less than perfect, you can learn and grow.”
First things first: Haters can help you.
Jay Baer points out research that shows while 80% of businesses say they deliver superior customer service, only 8% of customers agree.
In his book, Hug Your Haters, Baer drives home the point that it is foolish to hide from criticism, even worse to ignore it. Instead he says we should use it to make us — and our businesses — better.
Baer talks about how crucial it is to actually answer your haters, and to do so in a personal, genuine and timely manner. This provides a unique opportunity to turn a negative into a positive, and perhaps turn a hater into a loyal customer (brilliant!).
While many businesses choose to spend their time, money, and resources recruiting new customers, Baer points out the importance of not just keeping the old ones — but keeping them happy.
Jay Baer questions corporate culture that pays too little attention to how customers feel, and asks if businesses will go “above and beyond to keep a customer,” because he says, “that is part of the fabric of an organization…which says a lot about the values and priorities.”
In Hug Your Haters, Baer advocates for increased focus on customer satisfaction and retention. “Just a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profits,” he points out.
All of this begins with embracing the hate. Don’t run. Don’t even think about hiding. In today’s “on blast” social media world, avoiding the issues only makes things worse.
“Haters are not your problem,” Jay Baer says, “ignoring them is.”
(get this book by clicking here)
The post Hug Your Haters: Turning Criticism Into Cash appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“We are not looking to change church policy. What we want is to create an atmosphere in the church where gay people no longer feel that they would be better off dead.”
Bryce Cook, by his own admission, used to be homophobic. He was brought up in a conservative LDS family in Mesa, Arizona, and fully embraced traditional church policy.
And then he and his wife Sara received an email that changed their life.
Their son, at the time in school at BYU, wrote to tell them that he was a gay Mormon. “That was a huge surprise, we had no idea that could happen,” Cook says. Later, another admission. A second son came out of the closet.
The Cooks were shocked that two of their six children were gay, but they say, “all came under the microscope of greater understanding.”
It has been a ten year journey for this family. Not only have they worked to seek understanding, but also advocate for grassroots change in The Church of Latter-day Saints.
“I am here today to be an advocate and a voice for those who don’t have a voice in our church,” Cook says.
Sara and Bryce Cook started an organization called ALL, which stands for Arizona LDS LGBT http://allarizona.org/ It is a fast growing support and social group for LDS members who are LGBT, as well as family members and allies who want to support them. They meet monthly and interact on a Facebook forum.
In recent months, the group has gained some high profile support as well. At the upcoming All Are Alike Unto God conference in April of 2016, the keynote speaker and special guest will be former NFL Quarterback Steve Young, a well known member of the LDS Church. Cook says Young and his wife have embraced ALL’s efforts to open dialogue and increase tolerance.
The Cooks say the greater goal is not to change church policy. Rather to spread the message that there shouldn’t have to be a choice between your faith in God and love for the church, and your love for your child.
See Bryce and Sara Cook’s story here:
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“If you don’t push yourself, you aren’t aware what you are capable of.”
Tiffany Lee Gaston is an internationally recognized fitness model, elite athlete, author and philanthropist. She pushed herself outside of her comfort zone to document the painful experiences in her life that led to where she is today.
In her upcoming book, “From Broken To Badass” Gaston opens up about the anorexia she suffered in her early teens.
“Initially where that came from was a very poor self body image and it was hard for me to overcome. And I’m very vocal about that now because I think women need to hear that.”
Gaston talks about eating only iceburg lettuce and drinking water for days on end, all while hiding her personal health crisis from her parents.
Now that she has a public platform, Tiffany Lee Gaston feels a responsibility to share the story. “I don’t want to pretend like everything is great when, in fact, someone might be suffering from something similar. When I discovered this about myself, it opened doors for me.”
Big doors.
While her career began to flourish in the modeling and fitness world, Gaston found herself in an abusive relationship with a man who was much older.
“I couldn’t have seen that coming from miles away,” she says tearfully. “I was groomed into feeling like I was this man’s trophy. I thought he was the greatest thing ever at the time. As the course of the relationship evolved, he began to put me down. If he mentally beat me down, eventually I would feel like no one else would want me.”
Fights then escalated as the abuse turned from verbal to physical. “The day came when the gun was held to my head and I said you owe it to yourself for your safety, and the safety of those around you, to get far, far away from this person,” she remembers.
After Gaston walked out on the man who had intimidated and abused her for several years, she found the man she would later marry and have three children with. She calls him The Silver Fox.
It was a tough decision to stop and think back to the hardships she had overcome so long ago, and she wondered if she should reveal so much. In the end, she knew writing a book was the right thing to do. Her experiences, she says, made her the woman of strength she is today. Allowing herself to be vulnerable in telling this story has been empowering.
“It’s been the most gratifying thing I’ve ever done. It’s very important that once I achieved a platform and had the ability to share my voice with people, I do it.” One of her passions is giving back to kids in the foster care system as a board member on the Johnjay and Rich Care For Kids Foundation johnjayandrich.com
Gaston also continues to share fitness and healthy eating advice on her website www.tiffanyleegaston.com
Today Gaston trains with the same intensity as when she was competing. She is committed to being her strongest self during each evolving phase of her life. She eats a mainly paleo-based, anti-inflammatory diet free of grains, dairy, and sugar.
“I am happy with myself and with my body now. A mom can be anything she wants to be.”
Gaston has experienced a new level of happiness as a mom. Each of her three kids has their own unique talents, but her 12 year old daughter, Alexis has fast flourished into a singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Gaston credits Alexis’ dedication to guitar — an instrument she took up at age 6– for helping her become a rising star around the Phoenix area. She also credits the guidance of Nicki Park, owner of Northwest Valley Music www.musiclessons4you.com
You could say Tiffany Lee Gaston is a badass suburban soccer mom. A life she couldn’t imagine as a young woman trying to escape an eating disorder and an abusive relationship.
Of her life struggles she says, “I have healed on a higher level because I’ve owned them.”
She hopes her story will inspire others to do the same.
The post Anorexia and Abuse: How A Fitness Model Turned Her Life Around appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“One of the biggest elements of my success came from just taking responsibility for my life.”
Kendra Wright is a woman on the rise. She found early success in the world of digital marketing, working with big names and brands to help grow their platforms. Now she is focusing on building her own brand — and inspiring people along the way.
“I was born to a 15 year old mother and given a 5% chance to live,” Wright says. While others were outside playing, Wright, who was born with cerebral palsy, was learning to walk. It was a difficult childhood and she says her expectations were not high. “I would have thought that I was most likely to be average.”
It turns out, average wasn’t good enough. Wright kept pushing herself, and in 2013 had what she calls her breakthrough year.
She spent the entire year doing one thing or another outside of her comfort zone, documenting and writing about it so she could later use it on her new site www.heykendra.com
“I came to this interesting realization and that was that all of my big dreams, goals and aspirations, every time they were derailed, it came down to one root cause and that was fear.”
Her goal was to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
She created a project called “The Year Of Fear”, each day doing something outside of her comfort zone. She even brought someone in to be an accountability coach so that she was sure to follow through.
Wright went on police ride alongs, volunteered at soup kitchens, forced herself to meet people she would otherwise be intimidated by. Wright, who at the time wasn’t making her blogs public, also made a list of all of the people she feared from a writing perspective. “I have friends who are really well known, who just knock it out of the park.” She sent those very people all of her work.
Slowly, this personal branding took shape and she began to tell her own life story in a way that was inspirational and freeing. The fear began to fade away.
“I can’t control everything around me, but I can control my response to it,” Wright says.
She realized that she was making money for others doing digital marketing, why not build up her own brand and amplify her own voice.
“There are so many different ways to take your brand and amplify it online,” Wright says. “With my clients, I find small levers that open big doors. What are the things that we can do consistently and maximize results?”
Rather than throw darts at the strategy board, Wright focuses on a couple of core components that translate to measurable results. “When you can clear away clutter and focus on the marketing channels that are working,” she says, “I find people have much more success.”
After she identifies solid digital marketing strategies that work, Wright likes to add a wildcard, something innovative and fun.
For her, it was creating a site where people can learn “How To Turn Your Bucket List Into Your To-Do List”. One post on the site is titled, “If Your Life Sucks, It’s Your Fault”.
The woman who, at one point, thought she was destined to be average, is now finding greatness and, as she likes to say, being completely kick ass.
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“Do not be afraid to seek out transformation of your mind.”
AJ Richards came back from Iraq feeling that his life had no purpose. He was working for a pest control company, doing door-to-door sales at the time. Richards realized that he had to make changes or he might not survive.
“I was a soldier and I wore that very proudly. I was totally prepared to die while I was over there. When I got home, there was nowhere to go to. I got a job with a pest control company and I found myself depressed because just getting a job and a paycheck wasn’t enough.”
What was missing from his life, Richards says, was physicality and purpose. He had gone from being a warrior to living a very stagnant life. He was not doing enough physically to get the hormones released, Richards says. He believes that was at the core of his growing depression. “My theory is what is needed is physical activity.”
Richards opened CrossFit Mesa and soon after had an idea for a competition.
He founded Rush Club, a head-to-head weight class competition. Kind of like Fight Club meets CrossFit.
From there, the idea exploded. Rush Club has grown over the past two years into a highly watched event. It also has seen a spike in interest from Veterans looking to compete.
Richards opened up the competition to adaptive athletes, some have become national celebrities.
Two well known Veteran Athletes, Derek Weida and Mike Gallardo, both amputees, will be among the competitors at a Rush Club this weekend taking place at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, Arizona.
Richards points to this as an example of Rush Club’s mission, “You are a warrior. You can be responsible for your own recovery. Get up and move.”
For AJ Richards, it has been a long, tough journey to now. But he made a decision to be mindful of where he wanted to go next with his life. He wanted not only to find success and happiness for himself, he wanted to inspire others along the way.
His goals now are lofty. Within the 12 months they hope to stream competitions to half-million people, and in 5 years be as big as the UFC. Expressing those goals is a little bit intimidating, but it is all part of Richards’ journey.
“If you are committed to something and you say it, and it doesn’t scare you, it’s not big enough.”
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“When something looks interesting on the horizon, I want to check it out.”
Evo Terra, a well known digital strategist, speaker and podcaster wanted to see what life was like as a world traveler. He and his wife, Sheila Dee, made the decision in late 2014 to sell just about everything — including their house — and hit the road.
They describe the journey as both amazing and complicated.
“Our entire lives, for all of 2015, were in two suitcases that we brought with us. You are literally packing up your life.”
The two started documenting their journey on the site, The Opportunistic Travelers.
Terra, with a long background in digital strategy and content marketing, says he is easily bored. He realized this early on in his career when he found himself restless and unhappy with his job. At the time, Terra says, he worried about walking away because he was working for a great company. When he asked for advice, one of his mentors told him not to worry because “there are lots of great companies out there.” Those words stuck with Terra who realized that being adventurous and innovative was paramount.
He is lucky enough to share a partner in life that has “itchy feet”.
At first, the couple considered this adventure a sabbatical, not necessarily a way to make money. But when you are an entrepreneur, you find ways to create opportunity. Evo Terra and Dee are now telling their story — blogging and podcasting — on behalf of others in the tourism and travel industry who are looking for exposure.
“When you need to reach people with a message, whether you are a large brand, a blogger, or a presidential candidate, people want to be entertained, but also want a good quality story,” Terra says. “Do you have a story worth telling?”
Terra and Dee sure do. It’s a story that continues to unfold as they make Bangkok, Thailand their home for 2016.
Dee, a professor and photographer, shares her husband’s sense of adventure and willingness to let life unfold without a roadmap.
While the couple enjoyed living in Phoenix, Arizona for 18 years, they say they don’t miss their house, or any of their “stuff”. Terra and Dee realized there was so much of the world they hadn’t seen. After their son graduated from college, opportunity to explore the unknown presented itself.
“We are not very risk averse people. We just want to experience more things.”
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Find your wings and you will fly.
That’s a version of what kids are told at Phoenix based New Pathways for Youth. More specifically, they are told to figure out which wing is the strong one and which wing is the weak one. That way, they stay airborne.
It’s a concept that helped 16 year old Catalina turn her life around.
The teen was hesitant about joining the intensive, “all-in” mentoring program — at first. She was suspicious and closed hearted. Mainly because her life, to this point, had been very choatic.
Catalina paints a picture of a badly broken home with a father who put alcohol above everything else. “It’s only him and alcohol. That’s all he worked for — alcohol.”
Her mother struggled to pay the bills as Catalina fell deeper and deeper into a black hole of failing grades and drug use.
Until she met Christine Leavitt.
Leavitt, a mother of five and practicing attorney, was approached to become a mentor. Despite the fact that she was incrediblybusy, she was (remarkably) up for the challenge.
“I always believe that you have time for what you really want. You make the time,” Leavitt says. “So, I decided I would go try.”
It turned out to be transformative in her own personal growth.
First, Leavitt had to figure out how to identify with Catalina — whose family background was very different from her own.
“I come from a Mormon background, extremely conservative,” Leavitt says. “I wondered how I would relate? What do I know about their world and how can I insert myself in their lives.”
It wasn’t easy. You’ve heard the term “helicopter mom”? Well, Leavitt was a little bit like a helicopter mentor. She constantly tried to push Catalina, and her other mentee, to do better, especially in school. “The more I pushed, the more they pushed away,” she says. That’s when the breakthrough happened and Leavitt learned to approach the girls “on their terms”. She established a deeper trust and stopped trying to force them to figure everything out at once.
A year into their relationship, Catalina is a changed teenager. “I started seeing who I really was,” she explains. “I started seeing this is not who I want to be. I started noticing how Christine is a great person. She’s my role model and I want to be just like her.”
For Leavitt, a decision to make time for a troubled teen, turned into a life changing experience. She is now watching Catalina move closer to college and a life she never thought possible.
Leavitt says the crucial role mentors play is showing kids — many who come from backgrounds that are truly hard to imagine — that they can choose to break the cycle.
“This can be your reality,” Leavitt tells her mentees. “It’s hard and it will take work, but it is the hope that we have.”
The post Why Mentoring Matters: How A Phoenix Teen Went From Smoking Pot and Flunking School To Find Success appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“I have really put a priority on my health. Having cancer changes your priority on everything.”
Kirk Nurmi has walked through an incredible journey over the past few years. After being assigned to represent notorious boyfriend-killer Jodi Arias, Nurmi’s life, at times, seemed like a reality TV show. One that he never wanted to be the star of.
Nurmi was thrust into the center of a media circus as he tried to save the life of one of the most hated women in America. And that is just the beginning of the story. Along the way, Nurmi very publicly lost 75 pounds — and found out he had cancer.
It was August of 2015 when Nurmi became concerned about a growth under his arm. A month later, he received the news no one wants to hear. Cancer. The diagnosis was Stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“I came forward about it is because so many interviews I’ve heard inspired me in terms of the people who had gone through it and survived it,” Nurmi says. The diagnosis came just months after he was finally freed of his responsibility as Arias’ attorney.
“A lot of people thought I wanted to be there, sought her out as a client, wanted to be in front of the cameras.”
This is how Nurmi came to title his book “Trapped With Ms. Arias”.
In his book, he writes that he was forced to represent a manipulative and intimidating client who was sexually inappropriate and “very disturbed.”
What is Jodi Arias really like as a person? “That is probably the million dollar question,” Nurmi says. He likens it to “dealing with a really intelligent 5 year old.”
“You know that children are impulsive, narcissistic, and short sighted in their thinking. Imagine dealing with that every day,” he says of Arias who is now serving a life sentence for killing Travis Alexander.
Nurmi writes:
“To fully get a visual of what Ms. Arias did to my brain you would have to find some fecal matter, throw it into the pan, add a chopped up dead rat and scramble the whole mess up. Once completely cooked this concoction would then approximate the effect that Ms. Arias would have on my brain.”
When asked about the most shocking moment during the high-profile trial — which was live streamed to the media every day — Nurmi says he was shocked to hear someone had sold their ticket to sit in the gallery (for two hundred dollars).
It was officially a three ring circus.
The trial and intense media coverage took an emotional toll on Nurmi and his wife. In between trials, he lost 75 pounds. Not because of stress, he says. Rather, he made a commitment to some major lifestyle changes. Perhaps one way to gain a little bit of control in a world that was wildly spinning.
Nurmi says he lost the weight “the old fashioned way” with a calorie reduction plan. He reduced his daily intake to 1200-1600 calories and increased his activity. He believes no fancy diet plan is needed. Nurmi wrote a book about his weight loss journey in which he encourages people to “create their own idea of what might work” and “be invested in that program.”
For Kirk Nurmi, weight loss was just part of an ongoing battle for better health. At the time of our interview, he was about to undergo his final chemotherapy treatment, and was looking forward to the next chapter in his life. One he says will focus on education, enlightenment, and moving forward.
“I wanted to define myself because there were so many misconceptions about myself as Jodi Arias’ former lawyer. I am more than that.”
The post Life After Jodi Arias: Kirk Nurmi Talks about Surviving the Trial, Losing 75 pounds, and His Current Battle — with Cancer appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Tracey Martin is not big on resolutions. In fact, she is 100% anti-resolution. Martin, a life strategist based in Scottsdale, Arizona, believes life is a journey and we should never stop. Not even when a goal is met or a resolution is checked off our list.
When it comes to that life journey, Martin encourages people to stop thinking so much about the exterior, and start taking better care of what’s on the inside. It is personal development “beyond the gym”.
“Change the weight to wait,” she says. As in, “WHAT are you waiting for?”
It is a spiritual and holistic approach to happiness. One she says has worked well for her as a busy mom, wife (married for 21 years), and successful businesswoman.
With her clients, Martin works to develop passion, potential and purpose. “If those things line up,” she says, “you will find yourself in a really wonderful place.”
For 2016, one area of focus for Martin is helping people to hear their own “self-talk soundtrack”. You know the one that plays over and over. “It would be so interesting if we could put a speaker inside our head as to what we say about others, and what we say about ourselves.”
In trying to get people to focus, and change, that self-talk soundtrack, Martin likes to ask people self-reflective questions:
What has happened in your life if you can’t carve out an hour to meet with a friend in need?
What has happened in your life If you can’t pick up your child up from school with a warm smile and a hug?
What has happened in your life if you are short tempered with your spouse and they just walked in the door?
Set yourself up for success not failure, she says. “Are you with the right group of people to take you where you need to go in 2016?”
It’s good advice as we navigate this new year that brings with it new opportunities to learn and grow. Most of all, this moment — right now — provides the perfect opportunity to better ourselves from the inside out.
Don’t wait.
To find more about Tracey Martin, you can check out www.threadsofevolution.com
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“I was bullied as a kid and I had low self-esteem because of it. I was made fun of because of my weight and it just sort of escalated.” Carrie Severson spent eight long years of her childhood being harassed, bullied and severely depressed. “I had to leave my hometown, discover who I was and figure out a way out of the darkness on my own.”
Part of the journey in escaping that darkness was empowering herself to continue moving forward in life and making some bold choices. 5 years ago she left her stable 9 to 5 job to launch the non-profit Severson sisters www.seversonsisters.org and SuperGirl Club.
Severson says she went from talking about the person she wanted to be to actually being that person.
“It is surreal to look at what we’ve created and the number of lives we’ve impacted. I was able to take something really negative and turn it into light. It is my purpose in life to help others ignite their light.”
Severson has teamed up with psychologists and social workers to create specific programs that deal with the complex problems teen girls face today with bullying and social media. It’s so bad that many refer to it as social combat.
Due to budget cuts and overwhelmed teachers, Severson says schools are not doing a good job cracking down on bullying. So she and her team are taking their efforts straight into the neighborhoods. “It can’t stop at school, it has to be a community outreach.”
In 2016 they will continue to give girls the opportunity to create clubs to fight bullying and increase self-esteem and self-worth. The cost is $50 to $75 dollars a year with varying degrees of support for the clubs from Severson and her highly trained team of experts. The program started in Arizona but has since branched out. The greater mission is wide-spread national growth.
Severson says parents would be shocked to know the extent of the sexual and vicious online behavior teenagers take part in — much of it in plain sight. On Snapchat, she says, she’s seen girls doing naked cartwheels and smoking pot before school. “All the things they can’t get away with they put on Snapchat.”
When Severson first launched the SuperGirl program she says she was flooded with emails about suicide attempts, “I’d wake up in the morning and I would have 30 or 40 emails on suicide.”
Having walked this dark path and come out the other side, it is a mission she takes very seriously. “Bullying is a repetitive pattern that turns into a power shift.”
The post How To Stop Bullying: A Personal Story appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“Sometimes when you lose weight, you are not necessarily going to be happy at the end of the day. Don’t just change your body, change your life.”
Felicia Romero, Celebrity Fitness Trainer, Entrepreneur and Motivational Speaker, has worked hard to change her life. She fought food addictions as a binge eater and compulsive dieter for years. She spent a long time working to better herself — from the inside out.
Romero says she realized that she was consumed by food and how she looked. At that point she began to focus on internal well being. She wrote down goals based on who she was as a person. “After I focused on that internal well being, my body started changing,” Romero says, “I started losing weight, my skin was better, my hair was better, my anxiety and depression started going away. Living in a constant state of shame and guilt is not good.”
Romero tells clients who visit her at her studio Felicia Romero’s Fit Method in Gilbert, Arizona that there is a difference between being motivated and being inspired. If you are inspired, she says, you have long term goals and a reason to keep going.
She advises people to plan each day, write it down and follow through. Then take it week by week. “It gets easier and finally you start to feel better,” she says. “Each week you set the goals, and accomplish the goals, you are increasing your well being.”
Romero doesn’t have a diet plan to speak of. She stays away from dairy and gluten and tries to watch her sugar intake. As a general rule, she likes the Paleo lifestyle which is based on eating meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excludes dairy or grain products and processed food.
This fitness expert and motivational speaker is now taking her brand beyond the gym. As an entrepreneur, she is putting increased focus on trying to help other women in business. Romero has teamed up with the owner of French Treasure in Tempe, Arizona, to put together a series of Women with Women in Business events. The goal is to “create a network of women to share support, positivity and love.” Romero also hopes to bring in speakers who share their knowledge about business success.
Romero’s words of inspiration for 2016, “Be good to yourself,” she says. “There are so many people who dwell on the negativity. If you can wake up every morning and say one positive thing, I promise you your world will start changing.”
The post Don’t Just Change Your Body, Change Your Life appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“I loved my career in TV news. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It was very rewarding and I loved it. But life is a book with many chapters.”
For former TV News Anchor Lin Sue Cooney, the time had come, after 34 years in the business, to turn the page.
Cooney says she never wanted her legacy to be “oh she was the gal that read the news for so long”. She wanted an “encore” career and went in search of something that would give her a deeper sense of purpose.
Cooney shares this desire with a growing number of people who are seeking deeper meaning in their lives.
A recent article in Inc. titled How to Know If You’re Working (and Living) With Purpose http://www.inc.com/shelley-prevost/how-to-know-if-youre-working-with-purpose.html outlines four questions to ask in order to discover “your path to more meaningful work”:
Is the work I’m doing exciting and/or satisfying?
What keeps showing up in my life?
Am I using my gifts in service to others?
Is the work I’m doing elevating others in some way?
Cooney identifies most with the question that asks if you are using your gifts as a service to others. She is.
After leaving the NBC affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona, Cooney went to work with Hospice of the Valley www.HOV.org Her job is to connect Hospice with the community in a variety of meaningful ways.
“I had a yearning to make the world a better place,” she says. “Every night when I put my head on the pillow I can tell you that we have made a positive difference in families’ lives.”
Cooney describes this next chapter in her life as transformational. She left celebrity behind for a job that, at this point in her life, brings deeper meaning.
Hospice of the Valley, she says, is like working with angels. “They really believe that the end of life deserves the same amount of dignity and reverence as the beginning of life — and it does.”
“We are afraid of dying and we don’t like to talk about it. We live well why shouldn’t we die well? We are going to help you live the best way you can and make the most of the time you have left. To have the best quality as you leave this world.”
Cooney made a tough decision walking away from the career she loved for so long.
“I was scared to leave but sometimes you have to listen to the voice.”
Cooney was — and still is — one of the most recognized faces in Arizona, and she’s focused on using her public persona for the greater good.
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Housing and consumer finance expert Dean Wegner from Academy Mortgage in Scottsdale, Arizona expects to see a push of people buying homes in the coming months. Since rates hit rock-bottom in 2009, it’s been a bit of a guessing game as to when the Fed would raise rates. With unemployment holding steady at 5%, analysts say the door opened wide for Fed Chair Janet Yellen to make a long anticipated move. Who will this hurt the most? According to Wegner, homeowners who have second mortgages are sure to feel the pinch. He says it will also be felt in terms of auto loans and credit card rates.
Still he believes the housing market will remain strong. “Right now the home ownership rate in America is 63% and that is the lowest since 1967. So that means there is a lot of room for growth.”
In 2015, the average home value went up 6 ½ % Wegner says. As home values hold, he believes people will continue to try to get in.
“Boomerang buyers are coming out in full force,” Wegner says referring to buyers who had a catastrophic credit event in their past and are now looking to get back in the housing game. “These are people who got the recession behind them, they’ve dusted themselves off and they want to re enter the housing market. They know it’s a good deal and rates are still good.”
There are also a lot of incentive programs available to would-be buyers. “Programs expand the buyer pool. You want to increase housing, you allow more people to buy homes,” Wegner says.
On December 12th Fannie May released a new program called the Home Ready. It focuses on “creditworthy, low-to-moderate-income borrowers” with expanded eligibility and focus on financing homes in “designated low-income, minority, and disaster-impacted communities.”
Is owning a home still the American Dream? Wegner says he isn’t so sure. But for those who have a steady job and paycheck, he says, buying a house is the best financial move you can make.
“Take control of your life and make solid decisions,” Wegner says. “I can tell you 10 bad stories but I can also tell you 100 great stories.”
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“There is something special about you, you just have to figure it out.”
Lisa Glowacka is on a journey to evolve, both as a mother, and as a businesswoman.
The mom of three who graduated from ASU has a background as a financial planner. But several years ago, she began paying attention to the booming world of “mom blogs”.
She ended up finding a like-minded partner in former real-estate agent Michelle Alexander who moved from San Diego to Chandler for her husband’s career.
The two teamed up to create East Valley Moms Blog, an extension of the popular City Moms Blog franchise.
The biggest misconception, says Alexander, is “that we are mommy bloggers and not entrepreneurs who own a website.”
After what the women say was a slow start, this year the website started to really to take off.
Alexander and Glowacka knew one thing to be true and that is “all moms can relate to each other” in some way. That’s the premise for everything they do on the site from product reviews, to health and fitness tips, recipes to personal stories shared by moms. Everyone is just trying to find a way to find balance and live their best life.
“You can have your stability and also have your dreams,” Glowacka says.
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“At least 20 million women in the United States are walking around with undiagnosed TBI.”
Dr. Maria Garay-Serratos says brain trauma in domestic violence victims is pervasive. In fact, her own mother passed away from head trauma, she says, after suffering abuse over the course of 40 years.
Garay-Serratos has only recently started talking openly about her family’s painful story. In her case, they were able to break the cycle of abuse. “My siblings and I live wonderful lives free from domestic violence,” she says, “We are on a mission forever.”
Garay-Serratos’ mission brought her from Los Angeles to Phoenix . She now serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Sojourner Center where they provide services and shelter for thousands of women and children fleeing from domestic violence.
“I call the folks who are walking away with silent stories of domestic violence our silent champions. We are only touching the tip of the iceberg with domestic violence. We only hear about the sensational cases and we need to go deeper.”
One way the Sojourner Center is trying to go deeper is with a treatment program called “Sojourner BRAIN Program”. Sojourner teamed up with the CACTIS Foundation to focus on undiagnosed Traumatic Brain Injuries. They are working to develop tools to diagnose TBI in women and children and develop treatment programs.
And they have a growing number of high profile partners in this effort. Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and The University of Arizona College of Medicine have teamed with Sojourner.
“If you think of a woman or a child in a domestic violence situation, most of them don’t speak about the issue or ask for help,” Garay-Serratos says. “Thousands of kids are not able to read and perform in school.”
She draws comparisons to what members of the military and football players are going through.
“Everything you see on a football field, everything you see in warfare… shaking, choking, throwing things at the head… there is a deep correlation.”
It is a subject that will continue to dominate the headlines as more football players go public with their personal stories. A new movie, “Concussion” starring Will Smith also takes on the hot-button issue of brain injuries in the NFL.
For her part, Garay-Serratos says she applauds the NFL because they have brought attention to the issue of Traumatic Brain Injury and what she calls a public health epidemic.
“I believe that a lot of great work has been done, but if we look at how deep this goes, we can do better.”
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“When you face adversity you need to be mentally tough. What’s holding you back? It’s all mental.”
Former baseball player Matt Phillips remembers hearing about mental toughness as he was developing his athletic career.
“I often found myself asking what does that mean? What do I need to do to mentally push through that?”
Looking back, Phillips said he realized there was a gap. He didn’t know how to harness the mental side and improve his self confidence. He started a Colorado based company called Pro Athlete Advantage which is focused, at the core, on helping high school, collegiate, and professional athletes understand what mental toughness tools are — and how to take that power and apply it to your sport.
Phillips has since expanded beyond working just with athletes. He now teaches mental toughness to business leaders as well.
To Phillips, mental toughness consists of four things: confidence, focus, control and perseverance.
Confidence is being able to look into the mirror and be proud of who is staring back at you.
Focus is not allowing distractions to take us away from what is most important.
Control is all about keeping emotions in check. Phillips is a believer that in sports, and in business, emotions should be kept in. “Emotions are fuel, they are fire, they are passion. But it is all about how you channel them,” Phillips says. “You could be angry or frustrated and that could hold you back. You could also be extremely happy and that can hold you back.” He likes to ask people how they will channel all of those emotions into those things that will move them forward toward achieving specific goals.
Perseverance, quite simply, is the ability to get back up when you get knocked down.
Phillips cites Derek Jeter as a great example of mental toughness. “His mental approach, the way he would prepare for games, control himself emotionally, you can look at him and see his confidence and focus. He doesn’t let the little things bother him.”
“When you think about achieving success,” Phillips says, “you have to continue to take action to move forward.”
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“The American Dream is free but the hustle is sold separately.”
Carmen Garner knew little about dreams early on in life, but a lot about hustle. The Washington DC teacher grew up in a way that is truly hard to imagine.
“My grandmother had 13 kids. 9 of the 13 kids were heavily into the street life and drugs.” Including his own mother.
Before Garner was 10 years old, he visited both his mother and father in prison, frequently witnessed drug deals and drug use, and bounced around from foster homes to various family members.
Garner says he realized by age 11, he was pretty much on his own. His mother later died of HIV.
“I am the product of decision making,” he says. “What I saw, I did not want to do those things.”
He went on to college, discovering his junior year that he had an incredible amount of artistic talent. Drawing, painting and writing poetry became a powerful outlet.
Garner, now 38, became a teacher, motivational coach, and author. He shares his remarkable life story — overcoming poverty, and a family culture of crime and drug addiction — in his book, “From This To That.” He is self published and works to raise money so that every school can have a copy. http://www.mrcarmengarner.com
Garner uses his life story to help the kids around him make change. He started a program for 8th grade boys called “Man Talk”.
After realizing the boys at the junior high where he was teaching were out of control, Garner gathered male teachers to meet once a month. They taught the boys how to “dress appropriately, talk appropriately, and respect women”. Garner says the man goal is instilling self respect (which he believes is the most important trait a person can possess).
One of Carmen Garner’s main messages is that we all have the power to make decisions in life. Be better, or be bitter, he says. He decided long ago bitterness would get him nowhere.
Since age 11, when he realized he was on his own, Carmen Garner has worked to be better.
The post Drugs, Poverty, and The American Dream appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“The Lion coming to get you.”
That is how Robert Koagedal describes imbalance and stress in our lives.
Koagedal is board certified to practice Chinese Medicine: acupuncture, botanical medicine, and nutrition, and holds a Master of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. He has built a very successful practice in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Through acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Koagedal helps people fight a range of problems from back pain and arthritis, to infertility and weight control. He tries to get his patients to focus on finding the “off switch”; being more mindful, free, open, and in balance.
In treating patients for stress and anxiety, as well as a range of other associated ailments, Koagedal focuses on the central imbalance. He teaches people to self-reflect and ask themselves if they are fulfilling their sense of connection and purpose. “Learn to relax, tap into that deep part of your being that allows you to feel connected,” he says. “We are not put on this planet to be in a state of anxiety overwhelmed by the world.”
Nutrition is also a big part of solving medical problems for patients. Gluten, sugar, and soy are all potentially dangerous to the body in his view.
For each person, the prescription to better health is different. But Koagedal believes the basic principles of Chinese Medicine and learning to find balance can benefit all of us. More balance, less stress.
When asked what personally inspired him, Koagedal replies, “I am inspired by creative thinkers that are looking at solving some of the larger issues. We have to think bigger and think larger. Live with a vision of love and how we all come together for a beautiful world.
Podcast Transcript Carey Pena: Hey everyone, I’m Carey Pena. A detailed news study by researchers at Stanford and Harvard, concludes that work stress can and does shorten lives. And today we’re talking about how to get healthier, both mentally and physically. Our guest has spent his entire career focusing on helping people minimize stress and optimize health. Robert Koagedal is the owner of AcuHealth. Robert, thanks for being here.
Robert Koagedal: Thank you so much Carey.
Carey Pena: You deal with trying to help people minimize stress and one of your areas of focus is helping women overcome infertility issues. So, let’s start there. Why do you think so many women are experiencing problems having children?
Robert Koagedal: Well, that in and of itself is going to take us beyond our 20 minutes but if I’m going to give you the nutshell. And especially as it relates to stress, and maybe what distinguishes what I do relative to maybe what other healthcare providers are doing is, I see it as a pivotal feature of function, and not only just your mental health, but also your biological health. That is, the full expression of balancing your hormones, blood pressure, and all of the various things that we measure, I think are dramatically altered and affected adversely in response to perceived threat. That is to being under what I call, “the lion coming to get you”.
Carey Pena: So let’s talk a little bit about what advice you can offer to people … Specifically right now, talking about managing stress. And I think that’s interesting figuring out the off switch. What is the type of advice you give to people?
Robert Koagedal: Sure. Well obviously, the individual treatments are going to be to each person and their kind of level of interest. And maybe pointed towards ways that each person in their own life as I hear their story and how they can then, maybe, develop some of these practical tools, I guess. Certainly, the term that’s as popular as yoga these days is mindfulness, right?
And mindfulness as a historical practice is pointing us towards that there are parts of our consciousness that maybe we don’t always access. And we could say those are parts of our awareness that are more open, more free, non-judgmental. And being able to tap into that part of our awareness, our consciousness, gives us access to a sort of relaxation that you can have as you go through your day. And so, mindfulness training, and there’s lots of different avenues for that, is a part of what I invite my patients in to when they’re receiving acupuncture such that that can be with headphones that I do guided mediations. Or having them listen to different things, certainly in their day-to-day lives where they’ll go through that.
And I think that we’re beginning to see that this is a key role and medically as you related to fertility, I explain to people that there is this feedback loops in the brain, what’s call your hypothalamic pituitary or adrenal axis. That’s this communication network that is really perceiving your moment-to-moment experience. And if it’s threatened, your body resources go towards fight or flight response which directs away from our secondary evolutionary strategy, which is for reproduction and digestion. First thing is to survive, right? And indeed, if we are under the duress of a perceived threat, our body’s adaptive strategies move the energy resources to the hormones for adrenaline, for cortisol elevation, and these dramatically alter the way that then, all of our other hormones are functioning.
So, the shift is to begin to see that you’re already free. The shift is to begin to see that, built into your nervous system, are all the necessary requirements for you to experience this relaxation. And sometimes it just takes some pointing it out. And when people get a little taste of it, they can build on it and grow with it. Adapt it into their lives. And I think that’s a key thing for what I try to do, right? Invite people into that. And I think medically that’s going to show up in the future, if not already, with your Harvard and fancy Stanford study.
Carey Pena: I come with the fancy studies.
Robert Koagedal: Yeah, exactly.
So those are going to point us towards some simple things. Getting back to some simplicity. There’s no rocket science in this, right? And I think it’s mostly because our culture doesn’t train us in this. It doesn’t offer these. You don’t learn this in business school. You don’t learn this in college. You don’t get in your archway education, you know? Well actually you are getting it at some schools these days. So, it’s not necessarily a part of our cultural heritage to work to learn these skills. And it’s a learned skill that with some refinement, some practice, I think you can begin to use in your day-to-day life.
Carey Pena: Do you find a lot of resistance at first when people come in? Not everyone is used to acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. And certainly people must walk in your doors, overwhelmed with stress, anxiety. How do you even begin to unravel that in your patients?
Robert Koagedal: Well, certainly as it relates to fertility then, then you have the double whammy of that on top of them already probably being working at that point and having work stress on top of it. So, all the more reason that we have to find some type of a place for people to become centered and find that. And so, it’s just … I don’t know, it’s something you develop, and you learn to see where people are at and if they’re open to it, and if it feels like it’s something you want to explore, then yeah. I take them on a little journey.
Carey Pena: What does it feel like for you when you see someone open up and relax and …
Robert Koagedal: It’s fantastic, yeah. Absolutely. And, a lot of it is, you could call this also what I call ‘states of consciousness and healing’. And it’s my opinion, and if I read your study, I’m going to gather that it points towards that, under states of relaxation the body’s natural homeostatic processes, just simply function better. And so, what you see are all the parameters of their “symptoms”, whether its digestive complaints or they have headaches or they’re neck pain. All of those things to a certain degree start to, shall we say, self-resolve. Now, I’m not saying mindfulness is the only strategy for this but, it might the underlying thing that we need to begin from.
Robert Koagedal: Without which, acupuncture in itself might not be enough. Medication in itself, might not be enough. Telling them to ‘eat organically’ might not be enough. And until we evolve a view of who we are as human beings that wants to enrich us into understanding that our nervous system isn’t … We’re not put on this planet to be in a state of anxiety, overwhelmed by the world.
Carey Pena: Yeah. I think what you’re saying is super interesting and Shannon, our Producer, do you have a mike over there? You’re not on the mike. But he went through a really stressful time, lost a lot of weight. And really, does this concept kind of speak to you, the mindfulness Shannon? Kinda because you had to really get into the moment to figure out your life because a little bit was spinning out of control.
Shannon: Yeah. Whenever … I saw … It really affected me when I saw things oozing from my ears and I was feeling as though maybe I was not treating myself the way I deserved, and I was in turn, treating everyone else the way I felt. That’s kind of how I felt.
Carey Pena: And so much anxiety.
Shannon: Yeah. I had a lot of like, anxieties and I still kind of suffer from it, but it’s a lot better now that I’ve actually given thought to being more mindful to where I want to be in the future.
Carey Pena: And that’s really a lot of what you’re talking about Robert, right? I mean, I was interested in reading a little bit more about your background. You have a Masters degree in Chinese Medicine. You also treat complex medical complaints that a lot of times people are having troubles solving through traditional medicine. So, severe back pain, insomnia, depression. How does Chinese Medicine help in these particular cases?
Robert Koagedal: Well, Chinese Medicine is a collection of practices and includes not just acupuncture. That certainly is one of the main tools and again, in our culture, that’s how I got defined when people were trying to figure out what the hell does he do? Or, you know. So we’ll call him an acupuncturist.
Carey Pena: He sticks needles in people.
Robert Koagedal: Yeah. So there we go. But the scope of what’s called, The Five Branches of Chinese Medicine involve, certainly, acupuncture and what’s called moxibustion, which is a whole other thing. The application of nutrition as the foundation for establishing health. Certainly, all of what I just talked about. The right mindfulness, right thinking. The strategies of Tai Chi and Chi Gong. Chi Gong means breath work. Massage or what’s called acupressure. And certainly, botanical medicine application of herbs.
So that’s what I do. Those are my tools. That’s the strategies that I employ anytime someone comes in. We’re trying to utilize all of those in the process of identifying where’s their central imbalance?
Carey Pena: Do you try to … For instance, with people who come into you who are suffering from … I’d imagine though, a lot of those things are probably interrelated, insomnia and depression-
Robert Koagedal: Absolutely.
Carey Pena: Those things go hand-in-hand. Do you try to help people wean themselves off of medication?
Robert Koagedal: Certainly, there are people who come in with that objective. That is they’re … They’re coming to me because they are no longer getting the benefit from whatever it was they initially started using them for. And yeah that can include a host of medications from the … Certainly, the antidepressants all the way through sleep medications. I would also just advise your listeners too, that this is always at least with that respect and conjunction with them, consulting with their physician and kind of managing that. Because it’s not an easy thing, and sometimes involves quite a bit of both self-reflection for the patient and if they’re ready to move through those stages of understanding the deeper aspects of their mind. And understanding if they’re fulfilling their sense of connection and purpose in this world. And if they’re willing to move through those processes, then yeah, indeed we can help them on that journey.
Carey Pena: I really love that. I think that’s an important question for people to ask themselves. Are you fulfilling your sense of connection and purpose?
Robert Koagedal: Yeah.
Carey Pena: If you feel disconnected, that can so easily lead you down the road of depression.
Robert Koagedal: Absolutely. Well, the highest practice, and here, I guess, I’ll set this out to the community, the highest practice of Chinese Medicine and the deep idea is that, it’s what’s called ‘Nourishing Destiny’, and that references that the Chinese physician or the Master physician is really the tools that are meant to help the person open up to and connect with that deepest part of their being. That allows them to fulfill what they feel connected to at the deepest level.
Carey Pena: And so, we live in somewhat of a frenetic and disconnected society. How do you employ those practices for yourself? I mean, how do you maintain a happy, and practice what you preach?
Robert Koagedal: It’s a great question because I swim in the same sea, right? So, I have kids, and I run a business and all of those things come with their own challenges. I’d like to think that I certainly try to practice what I preach. But I hopefully do it humbly and without any judgment. And those are things that yeah, I’m going to … Like right now I’m in the middle of day four of a 10-day sugar cleanse. So, I had two days’ worth of a big, fat headache because I gave up caffeine and alcohol and-
Carey Pena: No wine?
Robert Koagedal: Eliminating sugar. Yeah exactly. And so, I really actually … You could say, I test some of the things out on myself that I’m going to suggest to my patients. And, this has been a good one actually, I like it.
Carey Pena: So, what brought you to this particular cleanse?
Robert Koagedal: Oh. well, I’ve explored a lot of different cleanses and I think, as I’ve tried to understand the detoxification processes in the body and maybe where they can be hampered. A lot of people come in with limited gut function, gut health, and bowel function. And I’ve tried to look for things that naturally help support the detoxification processes. I think it’s generally accepted that we’re exposed to anywhere from 50 – 80,000 new chemicals in the environment. They’re a part of things that we just swim in. And our body might need a little help on occasion. If it’s working properly, I think we get rid of most stuff. But if not, you give it a little boost now and again.
Carey Pena: So, you’re going to be on this for 10 days.
Robert Koagedal: 10 days.
Carey Pena: And that means what? No sugar?
Robert Koagedal: No sugar, yup. So it’s basically, 70% vegetables, 30% protein. And eliminating sugar.
Carey Pena: So, tell me what you feel about gluten.
Robert Koagedal: Glutens another complex topic, I’m not sure how much time we’ve got to work with on that one. But certainly, for my patients for whom, if they’re suffering with an underperforming thyroid, I think there’s enough clinical information that points that it can be, for some people, suppressive of the thyroid’s optimal functioning. And so, as an experiment, both for reducing inflammation and probably because it’s not necessarily optimal food. That is as we study and understand the seeds, which is what grains are, the seeds of plants. Those historically have been processed by our ancestors in ways in which they’re not processed today. And that’s again, why I say it’s a little more complicated on how they extrude the grains. They leave in the bad parts as opposed to, what’s called soaking, sour leavening, sprouting. Those are methods of rendering the seed less volatile. And we don’t do that anymore.
Robert Koagedal: So, you get all of kind of the bad stuff. And not as much of the good stuff and that’s where I think we’re running into that. And then you’re talking about a culture that has, for most kids since birth, they’ve been on antibiotics. They have gut dysfunction and you add on a potential plant food that can disrupt their gut. Then you have a recipe for all of the things we’re seeing as far as why people are having trouble with it.
Carey Pena: And what do you think about eliminating gluten to help with weight-loss and management?
Robert Koagedal: Yeah. I think, all of that I think as we explore … And again, this is where each person out there is going to have to answer for themselves. What does our physiology tell us about what we’re designed for, right? And certainly for me it points to us being omnivorous and our ancestors show up as requiring those foods and part of our evolutionary heritage is also consuming certain … certainly animal foods, as well as plant foods. And that if you want to minimize the refined carbohydrates, this would probably be a big winner for anyone who wants to lose weight, right? And I don’t think that’s … That’s kind of a no brainer. I mean, if you study any of the science out there, that is refined carbohydrates, sugars, right? And certainly, any kind of the processed or rancid vegetable oils. I think those alone would do you good.
Carey Pena: Tell me your thought about soy.
Robert Koagedal: Soy is another interesting product in which a lot of … The last couple of years we’ve been told that it’s a health food. And I think it’s showing up that if you look at historical Asian cultures, they used it primarily as a way for fixing nitrogen into the soil. And when they did eat it, they ate it in its fermented form, which is soy sauce and miso soup. And those are fermentation processes, render a lot of plant foods less volatile and less harmful. And so I think, soy as it’s been promoted by industry and primarily large agra business as a health food is a crock. And is primarily a source of … I have patients who bring their eight-year old daughters in who are already in early menarche and it’s because it’s a phytoestrogen.
Carey Pena: At eight years old?
Robert Koagedal: Yeah. So, they’re already starting prepubescent puberty.
Carey Pena: Wow.
Robert Koagedal: And so, soy formula and all of the various touted benefits of soy, I think, are really quite dangerous actually.
Carey Pena: What about dairy?
Robert Koagedal: Well, you’re getting to all the … Carey’s really giving me all the good one’s here.
Now again, that’s for another thing that I will go through with each patient. I mean really, I’ll sit down. If they want to know these things, I’m going to give them my perspective on it. And I think we’re at a point where dairy now, has itself become something that is not what it used to be. And that is, animals that are tortured and put into cages and then, stripped of their outdoor living and grass, which is their natural dietary requirement, and feed soy and corn. And then, we’re expected to drink that milk, and then we have to heat it and pasteurize it, and then, homogenize it and pull the fat out. And then, drink it. I’m going to say, that’s not milk. That’s a processed food.
And so, this just gets into the controversies regarding, for example, like raw milk and those types of things. And certainly I’m an advocate for getting back to a sustainable view on farming that connects farmer to consumer to the animals in a way that respects their life and really hooks us up. There’s a movie called “Fresh” for anyone out there who wants to take a look. I think this is a great film that points us towards a new vision of how to grow our food.
Carey Pena: You know, I was curious to get your thoughts on the … I don’t know if you heard about the Nobel Peace Prize, that on October 5th, the Chinese pharmacologist, Tu Youyou, she was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of a new way to battle malaria. So this is from the New York Times, they talk about that this has renewed the debate on Chinese Medicine. Just out of curiosity, why do you think there is still such debate about Chinese Medicine and its veracity?
Robert Koagedal: I’m not sure, I didn’t understand … What was the Nobel Prize for?
Carey Pena: Well, she discovered a new way to battle malaria.
Robert Koagedal: Okay.
Carey Pena: And so, because her background is rooted in Chinese Medicine it has sort of again opened up this debate about Chinese Medicine, and there’s always been this long running battle between new medicine and old medicine, I guess. And I just wonder, why do you think it’s still controversial?
Robert Koagedal: Well obviously, I swim … I live in a little isolated world so people come to me regularly and I don’t see it as a controversy. In fact, Chinese Medicine is the most sophisticated model of the relationship between mind and body that the human beings have come up with so far. And as such, being a model of understanding how both our mind, our emotions, and our life style effect our health, I consider it to be a foundational medicine for the world and a great healing tradition.
Having said that, it doesn’t have all the answers. And therefore, we’re looking for a view that is integrative. That applies the principles of certainly science and all of the great insights that have come through allopathic medicine and they do neither, in any way, conflict with each other. But they can complement each other in a way that, I think, satisfies our view of a healthcare that’s really whole and wholistic. And appreciates all of the dimensions of being human.
Carey Pena: I know you deal with a lot of different patients who come to you for a lot of different reasons. But if you had the ability to give sort of give one premier piece of advice, health advice to people, what would it be?
Robert Koagedal: Learn to relax. Yeah. Learn to tap into that deep part of your being that allows you to feel connected in a way, if it’s certainly to your family or to your community, or literally to the cosmos as a whole. I think learning to find … I give this to people. Recently I came up with this. I liken the nervous system to the digestive system. If the digestive system is full, and you’re stuffed after Thanksgiving meal, and someone puts your favorite meal in front of you, you’re not going to enjoy it, right?
The nervous system acts similarly. We are so bombarded with information and that’s why I’m glad we didn’t go necessarily into every detail that you have to memorize out there because there’s already enough information out there. But take this principle that our nervous systems act similarly. When they’re overwhelmed with information, they themselves … it’s hard to enjoy the next moment because our nervous system is full. So, learning those strategies of how to come back to a simple awareness of your body, a simple awareness of being in the present moment. Connecting in a way that allows you to not necessarily be running off into the next one or living from the past. Those tools and strategies I think, will immensely improve your overall wellbeing and help you make choices for your life and for your health that will dramatically improve them.
Carey Pena: What is it that personally inspires you?
Robert Koagedal: Personally, I’m inspired by creative thinkers that are looking at solving some of the larger issues. And again, when we define it myself, as an acupuncturist, I think it’s inaccurate in that, if we’re swimming in a world that’s polluted. Just my sticking needles in people is not going to solve a lot of their problems. So, we have to think bigger and think larger and I’ve recently come across the creator of “Five Hour Energy”, which I don’t even know … It’s probably not a great health drink by any means. But, he came into a flow of cash that was on the order of $4 billion. And I watched a video with what he’s doing to address some of our future concerns and not just for me, but for my kids and kid’s kids. That was just so inspiring.
Robert Koagedal: So, creative thinking in which people are looking outside of the box. Not stuck in dogma, and not necessarily behaving in ways out of fear. But living with a vision for love and really for a vision for how we can all come together to really create a beautiful world.
Carey Pena: Yeah. When you are creative it just like, unleashes so many possibilities and it’s so exciting.
Robert Koagedal: And you’ve got $4 billion dollars …
Carey Pena: Yeah, $4 billion dollars.
Robert Koagedal: I’m telling you. And you’ve got …
Carey Pena: I can be super creative with $4 billion.
Robert Koagedal: Absolutely. Well, I’ll send you the video because it was just inspiring. So, things like that get me fired up.
Carey Pena: Robert, thank you.
Robert Koagedal: Thank you.
Carey Pena: I think we could talk to you for about another 40 minutes. There’s so much … Shannon’s sitting over there. I can see your brain is working. We love to talk health and fitness. People can find you on the web at acuhealthaz.com. And again, thank you so much for being here. And thanks everyone for listening.
The post Alternative Medicine Offers Therapies To Help Reduce Stress appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
New fallout at the VA after reports reveal that $142 million in bonuses were paid out, in spite of the ongoing scandal. Carey talks to Arizona Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema about what’s being done for our Veterans. Sinema says she is disgusted and calls on Congress to take action.
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“Heart disease is the #1 killer of both men and women in the US and worldwide. In fact it kills more people than all cancer deaths combined. Our colleagues in the cancer societies have done a great job of raising awareness, and we have to do the same thing for heart disease.”
Dr. Iva Smolens, Medical director of the Women’s Heart Center at Banner Heart Hospital in Phoenix, says one person dies of heart disease approximately every minute in the United States.
While this is “Movember”, a movement to get men to pay better attention to their health during the month of November, two brand new studies have just been released that say young women may be less aware than men about the warning signs of heart disease, and less likely to get proper treatment.
Women are not always aware of the symptoms because they are slightly different than men. The most common complaint is flu-like symptoms; feeling poorly for a few days, fatigue, shortness of breath, and nausea.
“Many women sit at home because they think they have a flu bug,” says Dr. Smolens. “Women need to be much more proactive in their own health. You have to start these conversations earlier.”
This is the focus for the women who serve on the Phoenix Heart Ball Committee: Raising awareness and money for the American Heart Association. Chairman Kimberly Afkhami chose childhood obesity as her platform this year.
“Going to the scientific sessions for the American Heart Association, I really truly saw the numbers for childhood obesity. The effects that childhood obesity has on these children — their hearts and their health for the rest of their lives. Obese children as young as age 3 show indicators for obesity later in life.”
Afkhami points to the Halle Heart Museum in Tempe, Arizona as an example of being proactive and teaching kids about heart health early. “It is a hands on cardiovascular center and so much fun for the children to come down and learn how to live a healthy life,” Akfhami says.
One of the most impactful exhibits at the Museum is called “ReThink Your Drink”. It shows the how much sugar is in the drinks we are giving our kids. “Sugary beverages are probably one of the worst causes of obesity,” says Dr. Smolens, “30% of our adolescents or youth in the state of Arizona are considered overweight or obese.”
Childhood obesity in the United States has skyrocketed over the past 30 years, according to the CDC, and new research, just presented at an American Heart Association gathering in Florida, suggests children as young as 8 have developed “clear evidence of heart disease.”
Dr. Smolens likes to direct people to the Simple 7. Seven facts that you should know about yourself to help determine your risk factors: Blood pressure, blood sugar, whether or not you have diabetes, how active you are, your cholesterol level, your weight and height, and your dietary type.
Besides raising awareness about the risk factors for women and alarming rates of childhood obesity, The American Heart Association is also putting heavy focus on CPR training. “CPR training in schools is one of the big missions of the American Heart Association. You take cities like Seattle that have been really progressive about it. It really matters. It saves lives,” Dr. Smolens says.
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At age 24, Gelie Akhenblit found that she highly disliked her job, and set out on a journey to find her true passion.
“I am freakishly in love with networking,” Akhenblit says. And so she made it her career. In 2008, at age 27, Akhenblit founded Networking Phoenix, an online platform for professionals to connect with other professionals and meet at mixers and events. Her self funded startup has boomed into a massive business with 500 events listed monthly, 33,000 members in the Phoenix area, and plans to expand both nationally and globally.
“The whole entrepreneurial endeavor,” Akhenblit explains frankly, “it is brutal. It’s devastating in many ways to your life because you have to give your all. There are many dark times but you learn a lot.” Not just about yourself, but what it is like to dig deep and be an entrepreneur.
Akhenblit is a Russian Jewish refugee from the former Soviet Union. Her parents brought her to the United States at the age of 8. She says her background molded her into the type of person who chases dreams.
“If there is a better option somewhere, anything less than that is not really a choice. My parents didn’t give up their lives to bring me here to be any kind of mediocre.”
When she left that corporate job at the age of 24 to start “networking”, Akhenblit never questioned whether or not it was the right thing to do. She just went for it. “I’ve built my entire life, my professional life, on networking.”
But there is a big difference between networking and really bad promoting, she points out. It is important that people focus on building relationships and friendships instead of just connections.
“The way to be interesting, is to be interested in other people,” she advises. “It’s not about your business card or your company, it’s about you as a person. Your personal brand, your why, and your story is huge. It is networking.”
The post The Secrets To Networking Your Way To Success appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“It’s not an anger problem. If this was an anger issue, all of us would be abusers. This is about one person wanting to gain or maintain power with tactics of abuse.”
At the age of 15, Donna Bartos found herself in an abusive relationship. Although she didn’t realize it at the time. The first six months she describes as being treated like a princess. Then things changed. Her boyfriend started to tear her down, she says, telling her she was fat and ugly. “Humiliation,” Bartos says, “is the first sign of an abusive relationship.
It took a violent incident for her to walk away. That was 20 years ago. But the memory of what happened never left. Bartos would later find herself at a conference where a teenage girl was the keynote speaker. She talked about escaping a violent relationship that nearly destroyed her.
Bartos got on the plane to fly home and sketched out her plan to start an organization called Bloom with the focus being intensive outreach to schools. But this program would be different. Bartos and her group would focus on prevention and recognizing the signs before the abuse even started. She wanted to reach out to potential victims, and abusers, to teach to recognize behaviors that could lead them down a destructive path.
Bartos recruited some of her friends who also saw a need for an organization like this. She aggressively raised seed funding from Social Venture Partners Arizona, and became the fast pitch recipient. That turned into a grant from the Verizon organization.
“This is our battle song, this is what we want to share with individuals and corporations. How many more lives have to be lost before we start looking collectively and on the massive scale.”
One of the keys to their success is that they are not “a once and done program”, meaning they don’t just do seminars. Bartos says that can be more harmful because “you turn up a bunch of stuff, then leave, and they (the kids) don’t know what to do.” Instead, the Bloom Crew partners with schools to do student outreach over the course of seven days, and then peer-led awareness groups twice a month, followed by small group sessions to build self esteem and communication skills for healthy relationships once a week for nine weeks. They hope to take the curriculum nationwide.
Bartos asks students to consider if they are blooming or wilting. Or making someone else bloom or wilt.
“When I see 40% hands go up and they say they are ready to bloom in in their corner of the world, that inspires me.”
Bartos is reaching these kids on a very real level. And she’s only just begun to Bloom.
The post Deadly Mistakes: Teen Dating Abuse and How To Stop It appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“If people cannot find your business on the web, it’s like you don’t exist. You are invisible.”
Denise Wakeman is a successful online business strategist who helps small business owners and entrepreneurs increase visibility.
She says it is crucial for everyone to build their online presence because potential clients and customers “want to know more about you and what you are doing”. Showcasing your work “helps build trust and credibility with a wider audience”.
Wakeman has been doing this for a long time — since 1996. Of course, things have come a long way since then. But some basic things have not changed. “You need to provide value, be honest, authentic, and transparent with your online presence,” Wakeman says, “People want to know that you are a real person, that you know what you are talking about, and they can trust you.”
Wakeman embraced blogging and social media early on. She was actually one of the people who encouraged Michael Stelzner to start Social Media Examiner, which has become a hugely successful digital magazine. Wakeman calls Stelzner an amazing visionary.
Using the web in ways that will better your brand takes vision. It also takes commitment.
“None of this happens overnight,” Wakeman points out.
She advises clients to create content on a consistent basis (at least once a week), but be mindful and efficient about the content you are creating. Ask yourself, what is your goal? What audience are you trying to serve? Also, she says, be intentional with your web strategy.
Wakeman encourages people to spice up their content with graphics. She likes a site called Canva https://www.canva.com/ that allows you to create your own graphic design.
Also, and perhaps most important, she says, make sure there is always a call to action. What do you want people to do after they read your post, see your video, or check out your link? What is the call to action? Wakeman says this is the one thing missing from the content so many people publish and, she says, “they wonder why it is not working for them.”
To find more about Denise Wakeman visit her site:
www.denisewakeman.com
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“Tech jobs pay more than other types of jobs.”
Steve Zylstra, President and CEO of Arizona Technology Council says there is a huge upside for millennials – especially young women – to get into tech. Now.
Zylstra points to Intel as an example. The company has about 11,000 employees in Arizona, and the average compensation, he says, is $131,000.
“We did a study of about 171 technology companies in the state and they want experienced people who are going to hit the ground running. They can’t afford the training required to get new graduates up to speed.”
The tech industry in the desert is booming. But tech employees with work experience won’t go just anywhere for a job. Why would they? They have options. Beyond Silicon Valley, cities on the rise like Phoenix and Austin, Texas are competing for talent.
Tech companies tend to be diverse by nature, and a lot of people who work in this industry, Zylstra says, want to work for a company with heart — and a cause.
The Arizona Tech Council is putting heavy focus right now on trying to close the IT gap. Zylstra recently joined the government backed “Communities That Work” partnership. This will allow the Department of Labor, The Department of Commerce and The Aspen Institute (an International nonprofit dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue) to help accelerate solutions. Basically the best minds in the country will be working to try to solve problems for Arizona and the other communities and states that have opted in.
For Arizona, the problem is matching fast growing IT demand with a supply of highly qualified tech employees who want to grow their careers in the desert.
“Women have as much capability as men in the STEM fields, and for a long time it hasn’t been sexy for girls to go into sciences.” Zylstra says. But that is changing.
A great career, high pay, and a super cool, non-suffocating work environment. What could be sexier?
For more on the Arizona Tech Council click here:
http://www.aztechcouncil.org/
To read the 2016 Public Policy Guide from the Arizona Technology Council focused on tech growth click here
http://www.aztechcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/AZTC-Public-Policy-Guide-Digital-Version.pdf
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“What really moved me into becoming a champion of this cause — I am a cancer survivor.”
Laura Capello, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona was shocked when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has no family history and was otherwise healthy.
Capello studied journalism at Arizona State University and dreamed of being a sports reporter. After realizing that wasn’t the right job for her, she considered a “very good” offer in Corporate America. But the non-profit world was pulling at her heart strings.
Then cancer happened.
Capello, a single mom who is used to taking care of everyone else, was in shock.
“Being diagnosed with any type of disease is surreal. When you go through something like that you are at your most vulnerable. When I was going through cancer and had so many people who got me through that, and forced me to be vulnerable. It really made me see how much we need each other.”
Through cancer, Capello learned a lot about vulnerability. “I still hear from so many women they don’t think of it as an asset. But that’s when you learn your best lessons, when you let yourself be vulnerable.”
Capello thinks back on the mentors she had, growing up in a single parent home, and later the mentors who helped her make it through the emotional struggle with cancer. She credits them with the type of work she is doing today.
Big Brothers Big Sisters, which has been around for 60 years, matches at-risk kids with mentors who help them see light at the end of some very dark tunnels.
“We don’t ask our mentors to be surrogate parents, saviors, or piggy banks. Case managers monitor the cases monthly to make sure it is a healthy match — and that there is support for the mentors.”
She points to a recent study that considers the benefits of mentoring versus incarceration. “How much does it cost to incarcerate a child? $106,00 a year,” Capello says, “Where on average it is $1200 to provide a mentor to a child.”
Capello herself is a mentor to a little sister (her third since becoming CEO). She’s a realist. A tough, self-made woman who grew up not with a lot of money, but with a lot of love and pride.
Cancer made her even stronger, more prideful, and more determined to help others –especially kids — fight for their lives.
“People have choices, and just because you are in bad circumstances doesn’t mean you can’t get out of it. But you have to work hard toward your dreams.”
The post CEO’s Emotional Breast Cancer Battle And How It Changed Her Life appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Andrew Pulsipher had a family secret he held onto for 33 years. He was HIV positive.
Before Pulsipher was born, his dad cheated on his mom and contracted HIV. Both parents later died from AIDS.
Pulsipher was raised by family members. He grew up in the 80’s at a time when there was tremendous stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS. Pulsipher didn’t know what his future held.
After meeting his now wife and getting married, things changed. For the first time, he saw a future and the possibility of living a normal life.
Pulsipher and his wife wanted to have kids but he was worried about passing the virus on.
They had a daughter, now five, through fertility treatments. But because Pulsipher’s HIV is currently “undetectable,” he was able to have his second two children naturally. Still, no one outside the family knew that Pulsipher was HIV positive — until recently.
In May of 2015 Pulsipher shared his status with family and friends. Then hoping to break down the stigma surrounding HIV, he posted a photo to Facebook showing himself and his family all holding signs. His read “HIV Positive”. His wife and children held signs that read “HIV negative”. There it was, for all the world to see.
The photo went viral and global media coverage continues.
On Sunday, October 25th The Pulsiphers become the first family to Chair the Aids Walk Arizona. It is an event put on by Aunt Rita’s Foundation, a non-profit that advocates HIV education and awareness and raises funds for 17 HIV and AIDS non-profit organizations.
Pulsipher now feels free to tell his story without shame.
He has said, “I’m a heterosexual man letting people know this is not a gay disease and it does not care what color you are or who you love. HIV doesn’t play favorites and it is a real world issue, but I am not something to fear.”
The post Andrew Pulsipher is HIV Positive, But His Wife And Children Are Not – Story Goes Viral appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“It’s not really a social media network, it’s more of a discovery platform. It’s a place where people go to dream and discover new stuff.”
Jeff Sieh calls himself The Manly Pinterest Guy.
“It was assumed that there were just women on Pinterest. I thought I would turn it on its head, poke a little fun.” That’s when got wise to the booming business world of Pinterest.
Sieh says he began to pin frequently and noticed it was driving a traffic to his blog. Then he worked to define and develop his “Manly” brand. He grew both his beard and his brand, went retro with his graphics, kept pinning, and became a sought after Pinterest consultant and speaker.
“If you have a product, any product at all, you should be on Pinterest because it drives so much traffic,” Sieh says, “Now it is the #1 Driver of traffic. A lot of marketers are noticing, too.”
Sieh makes the point that Pinterest engagement lasts a long time, that it is more evergreen than Twitter or Facebook.
“I pin a lot of different things,” he says, “I have a board called manly food. I share a board about bacon. There are all sorts of things. You can show people who you are.”
Sieh, who says he tries to keep his content “broadly manly” is capitalizing on a growing movement of men on Pinterest.
“There are more men on Pinterest than read Sports Illustrated and GQ combined,” he says.
Here are a few Manly Pinterest Guy Tips:
-When you follow people on Pinterest, you don’t have to follow all of their boards. Be specific about the boards you are interested in. That way you don’t get overwhelmed.
-Don’t just think images. Pinterest allows you to share audio and video.
-Make sure that your pins reflect your brand.
-85-90% of all Pinterest traffic, Sieh says, is coming from mobile devices. Think about how your pins and shares will look on a smaller screen.
-Make sure you are very descriptive with your boards.
“It takes you stepping out a little bit, it’s not always comfortable and easy but you have to just go for it.” Sieh did just that by throwing himself, and all of his Texas manliness, into what he previously thought of as a woman’s world full of eye makeup and nail polish.
He shared with us one of his favorite quotes, one that reminds him to keep producing manly content and sharing with the world.
“90% and shared with the world always changes more lives than 100% perfect and stuck in your head.” -Jon Acuff.
To find more of the Manly Pinterest Guy www.manlypinteresttips.com
He says they are always adding testosterone, “One Pin at a time.”
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“I didn’t fail as a person. I maybe failed to meet somebody else’s expectation, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t bring value to a company, to other people, to my family, and to myself.”
That is what Kathi Miller-Miller realized after she was fired. It is a shocking experience for anyone who goes through it. You question your own values and self worth.
Miller was a business professional, a manager for 25 years, who helped other people with their careers. For her, getting fired was the best thing that could have happened. Although she didn’t realize it at the time.
“I was looking for some new up to date information about how to search for jobs,” Miller says, “But the book I was looking for wasn’t out there — so I wrote it.”
Miller picked herself up, pulled her shoulders back, and moved ahead with her writing, which morphed into a booming website, www.kathimillermiller.com where she offers free career tips and advice.
She found that she still had the confidence to add value in the business world, despite the fact that her earlier employer didn’t see it — at the time.
Miller likes to challenge her readers to “take their power back” by considering if they are getting equal loyalty from their employer that they are offering. “Loyalty,” she says, “is a two way street. Far too many times employees stay on that corporate train even if it is heading for a brick wall.”
Finding your passion and making it part of your everyday life is a big part of what Miller writes about. “It really comes down to finding the intersection of your passion and your values.”
That intersection has proven very successful for Miller, both in her writing and on LinkedIn, a site she doesn’t use strictly as a networking tool. She says she starts and ends her days there interacting with like-minded people, building community, and expanding her personal brand as a career coach and author.
“I really encourage people to get on LinkedIn,” Miller says. “The reality is none of us ever know when we are going to be looking for a job and you can’t create a network overnight.”
She has found new passion and inspiration in the work she is doing today. None of this would have been possible had she not heard those dreaded two words.
You’re Fired.
Show Transcript Carey Pena: Hi everyone. I’m Carey Pena. Thank you so much for being here. Our guest today is LinkedIn guru and author of Your Journey: From Fired to Hired, Kathi Miller. Hi, Kathi.
Kathi Miller: Hi, Carey. How are you today?
Carey Pena: Good. I’m so excited to talk with you because you have incredible information to share with our listeners. A lot of what you write about in your book, in your blogs, and on LinkedIn is how people can take control of their careers. Let’s start with two words that no one ever wants to hear, “You’re fired.” We’ve heard Donald Trump say that many times over the years.
You tell people what matters is what you do now. You tell people that you have to see that it is the time to move forward. So, how do you walk people through that journey in your book?
Kathi Miller: Well, that’s a great question, Carey. And a little bit of a back story, the reason I wrote the book is that I actually was fired. I was a business professional, a manager for 25 years helping other people with their careers, but I was looking for some new up to date information on how to search for jobs. The book that I wanted to buy wasn’t out there, so I wrote it. I’ve had just really phenomenal feedback from folks that were in that situation. And one of the biggest…
Carey Pena: Let me just ask you quickly, I just want to ask you on that subject, after you were fired, psychologically how did you pull yourself out of that bad place and kind of get motivated for yourself?
Kathi Miller: That was the biggest problem. For me, Carey, I was very lucky. For some people, maybe it’s a matter of financial distress, right? I didn’t have that financial distress. I had a little bit of a nest egg, so to speak. But yeah, emotionally, I was a type A over-achiever. The kind of person that what I found through research and going through it personally, fear of getting fired, maybe every day of their life because they think it equates to failure.
Some of the first things I had to do was to accept and to realize that it wasn’t failure. I didn’t fail as a person. I maybe failed to meet somebody else’s expectations, but that didn’t mean that I can’t bring value to people, to companies, to my family, and to myself. So that was the very first thing, putting my head back, my shoulders back, and still being proud, and still have the confidence that I could provide value on a business situation.
Carey Pena: One of the things I really love about your writing is that you encourage people to do more than just look for jobs. You encourage people to really craft opportunities for themselves that are valuable, and that bring them joy, and so that they feel like they’re contributing to something that matters, and I think that is such an important concept.
Carey Pena: You write so many interesting blogs on your site, by the way, and your site is kathimillermiller.com. So, what happened Kathi Miller, you married a guy named Miller?
Kathi Miller: I did actually, yes. And how boring is that, right? Every young girl practices writing a new name, and not me, I’ve written the same name forever. But I never went by any hyphenation until after I wrote the book and started blogging, and as you might guess, the URL kathimiller wasn’t available, but kathimillermiller was, so here I am.
Carey Pena: And I did a lot of reading on your site, kathimillermiller.com, and one of the blogs that really caught my attention, I want to go through this. It is titled, Does Your Employer Deserve Your Loyalty. So, you start out by saying, “Young kids can teach us a thing or two.” And you talk about the millennials, how they sometimes get a bad rap for job-hopping, but you say really there’s a good reason for that, because you talk about how more people are thinking about whether or not your employer actually deserves your loyalty. I want to go through some of the bullet points, Kathi, that you break out in this blog because they’re great ones.
So, you present this list of things that people should think about, when it comes to how much your employer deserves your loyalty. The first you list is broken promises, is there poor communication, is there company instability, limited developmental opportunities, misguided management, meager leadership, no passion for you, or for them, lack of trust, poor business strategy, limited vision. So, all of these things you say are indicators of potential danger. Talk to me about that.
Kathi Miller: Yes Carey, an, you know, it’s like anything else, if you have one of those situations, it may not be the end of the world, right? That might be a blip. But certainly, if you start seeing three, or four, or five of those things, what I really want to challenge my readers to do is to stop and intentionally consider if they are getting equal loyalty back from the employer that they are offering to the employer. And if it’s, you know, loyalty is a two way street. It just has to be, whether it’s in a relationship, a marriage, or an employment situation. I think far too many times, employees stay on that corporate train, even if it’s heading for a brick wall, and you just can’t do that anymore.
Carey Pena: Why is that? Just because, are we just in so many cases, you know, obviously people have financial obligations, and it’s scary to jump off that train.
Kathi Miller: It is.
Carey Pena: So, what kind of advice do you give to your readers?
Kathi Miller: Well, in this particular case the first thing I say is, “If you’re getting equal loyalty that you’re giving, and you do see career opportunities, and you are having trust and communication, then maybe you just work your way through it.” But certainly, if you’re in a situation, let’s say, maybe Carey, you have a leader, a manager, a direct manager, or even your corporate CEO officer, and they just don’t have any vision, right? One of the most important things for any business to succeed is a strategic vision. You just can’t, you can’t last forever without that.
So, if you’re in a situation where you have a company that isn’t exhibiting any vision, and add to that perhaps, maybe they told you they’d give you a raise in 90 days, or if you made it through this first year without a salary increase they’d hit you the next year, and they don’t do that, then maybe the next thing that comes in is you find that the management is misguided, you know? Maybe there’s miscommunication even between the managers. Suddenly those things start to add up and you’ve got to look out for yourself and say, “You know what? It is scary to take that step out, but maybe it’s scary to stay here, too.”
Ultimately a lot of times what I find when I’m coaching folks is that they’re so afraid to take that step, right? But so many times that can lead to phenomenal better opportunities for them, once they just make that move, and start looking and networking and talking to other folks.
Carey Pena: Well, I love that you put no passion. Is there a lack of passion for you. or for your employer, because I really think that’s so important. So much of what you’re talking about is the opportunity for us to evolve in our jobs, and my totally unscientific research has shown me that being able to evolve keeps you, and whether that’s financially, do you have the opportunity to move up with your salary, do you have the opportunity to learn new things, to apply your skills in different areas, I find that the people who are in situations where they are evolving, they’re learning, they’re growing, they’re staying passionate.
Kathi Miller: You know, as I often tell folks, we get one shot at life. And people that say, “Well, I’ve only got seven more years ’til I can retire.” Okay. That’s 2,200 days that you’re just giving up by going through the paces, and it’s just so important to stay passionate and engaged, you’re right. Whether it’s your leadership, whether it’s your personal interests, or even just growing yourself through increasing your skills. And I do believe that finding a job somebody loves, and I have a lot of content about that on my site, and also in My Journey from Fired to Hired, the book I published, how to find that job that you love, that you’re passionate about.
There’s a lot of really helpful tools out there, if you’re in a job and you’re going through the paces, don’t think that, you know, don’t be overwhelmed thinking it’s hard to figure that out. There’s resources, great resources, out there to help you. There’s also a lot of them on my website, too, Carey, they’re totally free of charge.
Carey Pena: I want to say that, by the way, I love that you just put it all out there. You’re not like, “Hey, I’ve got this great piece of advice, opt-in, give me five bucks and I’ll give it to you.” You really share a lot of information which I appreciate. Can you give me a couple of examples, when you talk about, in particular your book, From Fired to Hired, I’d imagine after you get fired, you do a little soul-searching and you think about the next steps. How do you go about, and how do you coach people to go about, identifying what is your passion for the next phase?
Kathi Miller: Great question. One of the first things when you get fired, and when I work with folks that get fired, is that I tell them to breathe. The second thing is that nine times out of ten there’s some sort of accountability we can take. Something we could’ve maybe done better, maybe we showed loyalty when we shouldn’t have, you know? Maybe they went through a reduction in headcount, those sorts of things. So, the first thing you’ve got to do is kind of work through some of that psychological stuff before you could even begin to find a job that you love, right? Because you’ve got to be in a healthy, optimistic place. It really comes down to finding the intersection of your passion, and your values.
Again, like I said, there are some great tools out there where you can take and put value identifications up. You know, is money the most important thing to you, is family the most important thing, is constant career growth, is having a job that you could do remotely? Maybe it’s a job that allows you to move around the country. Not that any two people will have the exact same value structure, right?
So, the first thing you have to do is lineup, okay, this is the most important thing to me. Everybody’s so busy in life, right? I think I shared with you earlier that, I don’t know about you, but I have ten, fifteen lists at all times in my phone, where I have everything I need to do. And I’m not special, I’m not any more unique than you are, Carey, or your listeners are. And so what happens, is it just easier to do the status quo, and just continue to go through. But it’s so important, if you really want to have that well-rounded and fulfilled life, to make sure your value string does match up. Then the other thing is, do you have the skill set necessary to do your job that you love, okay? So, maybe I want to be an opera singer, that’s the job that I know I would love. But if I can’t sing, [inaudible 00:10:50].
Carey Pena: You’re not going to be standing next to Andrea Bocelli anytime soon.
Kathi Miller: Maybe there’s a reason I’m not an opera singer.
Carey Pena: Kathi, you are huge on LinkedIn. You’ve had a very successful run. Tell me some of the secrets to your success on LinkedIn, and why you think people should be active on, what’s the purpose, and what kind of content should people be looking to put on LinkedIn?
Kathi Miller: Yeah, LinkedIn has been phenomenal for me. And there’s a couple of key tips, you know, obviously the first one is to comment on people’s threads, and that sort of stuff, so there’s no real new topic there, Carey, but one of the things that has been really good for me on LinkedIn, is the ability to take and interact with other like-minded people through groups. I would really encourage people, if they’re not already in some group activity, to get in there and find one, and that’s where you really get some great synergies going on.
The other thing is, if there’s not a group on the topic you’re interested in, create one. There’s nothing that says you can’t have a group, again, back of, people that want to be opera singers that can’t sing. I don’t know how many people you’d get in that, but my point is, you could. So creating a group or participating in a group is absolutely huge. But one of the other things I really, really encourage people to do with LinkedIn, oftentimes people think, “Well, if I’m not looking for a job, I don’t need to be on LinkedIn.” And that is such, such a professional mistake. For two reasons. First of all, none of us ever know when we’re going to be looking for a job, you know? Downsizing happens, companies go out of business, and so … And the other thing is, you can’t create a network overnight. It takes time to get in, and to forge those relationships, and build those relationships. The third thing is, quite honestly, it’s just a fantastic way for personal growth and development.
Carey Pena: Yeah.
Kathi Miller: I don’t look at LinkedIn as just a networking tool, it’s so much more than that. It’s where I start and end every day.
Carey Pena: It’s the building of your community, and that’s always beneficial for all of us. So, Kathi, since you are living proof of going from fired to hired, you’ve kind of created your own journey, you’ve written your own story here. What do you identify as being the secret to your success for getting where you were, in that moment of being fired, to where you are today?
Kathi Miller: Probably just personal drive, and the belief just really down deep in my soul, Carey, that even in that darkest hour, when I heard those two dreaded words, I knew I still had things to give. I knew I could still help people, and I had a passion that I just, I ended up finding a new way to share my passion, I guess, quite honestly. I went from face-to-face coaching in corporate environments to jumping online, doing podcasts like today, I’ve done a couple virtual career summits, and I absolutely love it. It’s a new way of thinking, which is embracing, it’s keeping my mind growing. All the technology has been phenomenal for me to be kind of proud of the fact, oh wow, I can do this, you know?
Carey Pena: Yeah.
Kathi Miller: It’s pretty cool. And I’ve gone from writing a book that I never expected to, to having a website that I get almost 10,000 visitors a month on, that I’m helping, instead of maybe 20 or 30 people on my old team, you know, face-to-face, in the day, now I can help unlimited number of people, and so that’s been incredibly awarding.
Carey Pena: Well, and I hope you don’t mind me saying this, because I know you’ve blogged about your age, but you’re post 50, right? And I think that that’s an important thing to talk about because, you know, I mean, you still continue to find a new mojo every day, and you’re operating in this progressive digital world, and I think that’s really cool.
Kathi Miller: Well, thank you. I am past 50, post 50, only by about a month, but I am in the club.
Carey Pena: I love that you embrace that. You know, we only have a few seconds left, but I always like to ask everyone, what personally inspires you, Kathi?
Kathi Miller: What personally inspires me? Wow. That’s a great question to end on. Getting better every day, you know? My favorite quote that I have in my office, very visible, is, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” And if I had to summarize my motivation, I think that’s it.
Carey Pena: I love that. Kathi Miller, you are an awesome lady, and I really encourage people to go to your site, kathimillermiller.com, because you pump out so much content, and it’s good content, it’s valuable content, and I think that’s a big part of the reason why you are so successful. We loved having you on the show today, Kathi, thank you so much.
Kathi Miller: Thank you so much, Carey, and appreciate all to your listeners as well.
Carey Pena: Thanks everyone for listening, and you can find us at inspiredmedia360tv.com. Today’s show was produced and engineered by Shannon Hernandez, brought to you by Inspired Media 360. Until next time, stay inspired.
The post How To Go From Fired To Hired. Employment Expert Shares Her Secrets appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Erin Schulte & Jessica Hocken with Cindy McCain If you thought millennials were lazy, entitled, and self absorbed, you need to hear what Erin Schulte and Jessica Hocken have to say.
The two ASU honors students, who have been friends since their sophomore year in high school, co-founded the student-led nonprofit “All Walks Project” to fight against sex trafficking and sexual abuse.
They’ve received tremendous support and guidance from the Entrepreneurship program at ASU. In fact, Schulte and Hocken point to ASU as the inspiration that made all of this possible. “Even though I am young, even though I am a woman, even though I am a student. The University sees the best in us.”
Prior to ASU’s incredible leadership, the two say they were encouraged to take bold steps after reading Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In. The book focuses, in part, on the challenges women face in trying to get ahead. It also encourages women to be strong, turn plans into action, and lean in at the table to have your voice heard. Schultz and Hocken say after reading the book, they realized there were no more excuses. Again, they were absorbing the message that they are not too young or too inexperienced to do the things they want to do. They realized, there was nothing to fear. If there were things they didn’t know about running an organization along the way, they would learn — and thats exactly what has happened.
The two have broken out of the so-called millennial mold in a dynamic and bold way. They are now connected with the Clinton Global Initiative. They are also receiving help from the McCain Institute. Cindy McCain has been outspoken and tireless in her efforts to fight sex trafficking in the United States and abroad.
Many of the victims, say Schulte and Hocken, don’t even realize they are victims until it is too late.
“Everyone can and needs to make a difference. This is an issue that affects everyone. Even if you don’t see it, it’s still there,” Schulte says.
Their mission is to spread awareness on college campuses so that people recognize what is really happening in our community and take action.
“All Walks Project” is currently at on campus at four Universities, but the founders — two incredible young women on a mission for the greater good — have plans to take it nationwide.
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“If you lead a compassionate life, your children will naturally see its importance to you and will assume its importance for themselves,” says Jim Taylor Ph.D.
This is a concept that hits home with Arizona mothers Lisa Geyser and Alex Sklar who founded the charity Families Giving Back. It is all based on parents bringing their children, no matter how young, to volunteer.
“We felt like this was something that was missing in the community, this was something we wanted for our boys. We started talking and we thought if it doesn’t exist, let’s create it.”
That was in 2012. Since then, Sklar and Geyser have teamed up with over 20 non-profits to host family friendly events 2 to 3 times a month. Many of them sell out.
Fundamentally, they wanted to teach their boys about compassion, empathy, and kindness. Their boys began to volunteer before they were even three years old.
“It was important to us, that they understand there comes a responsibility to help those who are less fortunate,” Sklar says, “But also to view those people with as much respect and compassion as you would your family.”
With so much hatred and turmoil in the world today, it seems more important than ever to raise children who can understand what it is to be kind and decent to others.
“Because of the messages of selfishness and disregard for others that popular culture communicates these days, your children aren’t likely to learn compassion on their own,” Dr. Taylor writes in Psychology Today. “You must nurture the ability to care about others in their early years. If the value of compassion isn’t evident in your daily lives, your children are less likely to develop compassion and will ultimately become emotionally and socially disconnected from the larger world in which they live. Only when children are immersed in a compassionate world will they come to see the value of compassion and embrace it as their own.”
A value these mothers, and now hundreds of parents and children in the Phoenix area are embracing by taking action together — as a family.
For more information on Families Giving Back visit
www.familiesgivingback.org
The post How To Raise Compassionate Children appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Named one of the top 25 CEOs in Phoenix, Christy McClendon’s passion comes from her own personal experience. McClendon, who runs the Phoenix based non-profit New Pathways for Youth, was raised in Kentucky by grandparents who had only 8th grade educations. She joins Carey in studio along with 22 year old Mentor, Eugenia Folks, whose family immigrated from Mexico and struggled daily to survive. Together they talk about overcoming great odds, and what it is like to find not only success, but true meaning in life.
Show’s Transcript Carey Pena: Hey guys, it’s Carey Pena. Thank you so much for being here. Let me ask you a question. What if you had the power, the power to change someone’s life? Would you use it? That’s what we’re talking about today with Christy McLendon, president and CEO of New Pathways for Youth. This is a local organization that really transforms lives through mentoring and life skill development, and the success rate is pretty massive, and when I say that you guys are transforming, that is not an overstatement and all that. Also in our studio today is Eugenia folks who is a mentor who says that this has changed her life. Welcome to the both of you. So good to see you guys. You look lovely. And Christy, I want to talk to you first. You have been named one of the Top 25 CEOs by the Phoenix Business Journal, 50 Most Powerful Women Business Leaders by Arizona Business Magazine and 20 Women Who Will Shape the Valley by the Arizona Republic. So you’re kind of like a big deal. How did you find your passion to do this?
Christy M.: My passion really comes about from my own personal experience. I grew up in a very small community in southern Kentucky. I was raised by my grandparents who had eighth grade educations and they believed in the power of education and they had no idea how I would go to college, but they just knew it was part of their vision and their hope for me and it was having powerful mentors in my life who helped guide me and show the route and counsel me through that process to make my way there.
Carey Pena: Did you know, did you have an internal sense that you were going to make it to go on to college and these greater degrees that you’ve had and this amazing business world success? Did you feel that or was it your grandparents who were saying, “Yes, you can do it,” or was it a kind of a combination of both?
Christy M: In hindsight, probably a combination of both. I don’t think that I ever said, I’m going to be acknowledged in these wonderful ways that I have in our community. It was just the value my grandparents instilled in me to make a difference, to care about people and to give back.
Carey Pena: Talk to me about New Pathways for Youth because I had the great pleasure of visiting with you guys some months ago and what you’re doing there is really, really special.
Christy M.: New Pathways for Youth truly changes lives. We focus on an intentional evidence based curriculum that inspires our mentors and our youth to reach very … a high level of impact in our lives. We not only see the lives of our youth transform who come to us with backgrounds in delinquency, homelessness or very difficult home lives, but we watch the mentors who serve them as volunteers truly transform their own lives in the process.
Carey Pena: Well, what I found really fascinating is that you guys bring the kids in and even though they have come from very rough circumstances, you expect a lot. You’re not just letting them come in here and kind of dictate their own course. Because what I took away, and correct me if I’m wrong, is you don’t want them to look at themselves as victims.
Christy M.: Absolutely. One of our core beliefs at New Pathways for Youth is that youth do as we do and that youth choose a future for themselves based on what they see as possible in that moment. So we look to our volunteer mentors who go through intensive training to work with these youth from very difficult backgrounds, to inspire them to play big, to set big goals and reach for them. And we look for our mentors to be that example.
Carey Pena: Mentors like this beautiful young lady right here. Eugenia, why did you want to become a mentor?
Eugenia: I had a mentor when I was growing up and that was my father. I had a very strong relationship with him and he instilled the belief in me that education is powerful. And so when I heard about New Pathways, I knew that I had to give it a shot. I could be a mentor.
Carey Pena: Tell me a little bit about your background.
Eugenia: I was raised in the west side, so the Maryville area, in poverty. My parents immigrated here from Mexico and so really, I went to college, really on nothing but scholarships. I felt very fortunate for that, especially because a lot of the peers that I had in my neighborhoods are not in the same situation that I’m in right now.
Carey Pena: And so when you take on your child, you have two of them, right, that you’re mentoring?
Eugenia: Yes, I do.
Carey Pena: How do you go about breaking down their walls? Because a lot of kids I would imagine have been through so much, so much emotional stress and sometimes when you’re in that situation you don’t see the world as being a positive place. You don’t look at it like, “Wow, I can go out there and shoot for the stars.” Where do you begin in trying to break through with these kids?
Eugenia: So that’s interesting that you asked that. It’s at a perfect time because just yesterday I met with one of my mentees who I’ve been matched with for about eight, nine months and he is so intelligent and I would say a little bit stubborn because it was hard to break through those walls.
So yesterday we had that same conversation, much of the same family dynamics that were going on in January. But this time around, it was a little bit different and all it took was a little bit of patience from me and an ear to give to him. So he demonstrated empathy, something that he didn’t have eight months ago and it was a very proud moment.
Carey Pena: Wow, to be able to break through and show empathy really changes who you are as a person. If you can be empathetic toward others, it opens you up to so many beautiful things in life. Can you guys talk to me a little bit about some of the situations that you see? I went to one of your events and there was a young man who just blew me away. I think he was about 16 years old and he told his life story. His parents were just riddled with drugs, alcohol, abuse. He’d been flopped from home to home to home. Didn’t feel that anyone would really love and care for him. And then it was very funny because he’s a young Hispanic gentleman, so cute, and then he got matched up with this like mid-forties kind of white guy. And he talked about, it’s so funny about how he never thought he would have something in common with this kind of, in his words, like nerdy guy, but they ended up with this amazing bond.
Christy M.: Mm-hmm (affirmative). It’s a very powerful relationship and I think even in that example, and as Eugenie as an example, and I also mentor in our program as a volunteer, it’s really a very core curriculum that equips us as mentors with an understanding of youth development and the very unique situations that our youth find themselves in, again, violence, drugs as you just highlighted for the young man you met.
The young man that my husband and I co-mentor together, same situation. He lost his father at the age of nine and prior to that, he had witnessed a very violent relationship between his parents. And they had, after his father’s passing, he and his siblings and his mother lived in the park for a few weeks before they found themselves in a homeless shelter and able to start rebuilding as a family. These youth face very difficult circumstances. In the training we get as mentors, helps us build that rapport quickly and then the evidence based programming that that New Pathways provides to us as mentors develops our skills to teach empathy at an age appropriate level. So not only is the relationship becoming the mechanism of change, but the curriculum provides all the tools we need to follow to help develop that over time.
Carey Pena: You know, I am a huge believer in what mentorship can do. Many years ago I did a story in one of the jails here, and I was in the room with a bunch of young men who were incarcerated. I’ll never forget this, because one of them, they were all trying to be tough and kind of telling me their stories and you know, a variety of reasons you find people in jail. Some made stupid decisions, some horrendous decisions.
But one young man really stuck out to me because I could see he wanted to tell me more. And he was very emotional and he talked to me about how he grew up in a neighborhood where if you did not jump into a gang, you pretty much, he felt you would not survive, that he had no role models and he had no choices. That always stuck with me because I wonder if there was more outreach in our society as simple as a few days a week mentorship, but some sort of perspective that tells kids there is something more. And we have such overcrowding in our jails. Do you know any of the statistics, how much mentorship helps combat that?
Christy M.: We know that mentorship in programs like New Pathways where you’re utilizing the evidence based curriculum and developing those core emotional and social skills that kids need to be successful in life, we see a one to three return. So for every dollar invested in programs like New Pathways for Youth creates a, a return of $3 to our community by preventing the need for future criminal justice or social justice services.
We also know on average it costs about $88,000 a year to incarcerate a youth in Arizona. And at New Pathways for youth or programs like ours, our services are typically in the range of about $2,000 a year per youth and providing a holistic approach to the family and to the kid that’s involved in the program.
Carey Pena: Yeah. I read some statistics from the Mentoring Effect, a 2014 report outlines the effects of mentoring for kids. 76% of at risk youth who had a mentor plan to enroll in college versus 56% who did not have access to a mentor. Working with a mentor, they say nearly doubled the number of at risk youth who participated in a sports team or an extracurricular activity and community volunteerism increased from 27% to 48%. Talk to me a little bit about that.
Eugenia: I think it’s very important. I took my youth for the first time to the ASU Tempe campus about three months ago. And at first I thought that all he was getting out of it was the recreational aspect of the university. And yesterday he was talking about going to college and a possible career and building a business. And that is powerful, to be able to hear that as opposed to everything else, to hear that he has a plan and he’s taking the steps towards that.
Carey Pena: Eugenia, I can tell that you’re very passionate about this. How old are you?
Eugenia: 23.
Carey Pena: How does it make you feel to know that at 23 years old you have walked through a difficult path yourself as a young Latina and that you are already going out into the world and making a huge difference. How does it make you feel?
Eugenia: It makes me feel like there’s a lot more work to do.
Carey Pena: You’re a girl after my own heart. You’re not going to stop here are you?
Eugenia: Not at all.
Carey Pena: So Christy, when you go into work every day, there are some challenges that you face though because you’re constantly having to get fundraising. And that’s not easy. What’s that world like?
Christy M.: Well, it’s one of passion. When you go in every day and you hear the stories of Eugenia and her youth or by mentoring in our program myself, I get to see it daily. And you never forget the faces that you are trying to help and why it’s so important to connect those dots and bring those resources and one of the interesting things, Carrie, as you were mentioning, the impact or the outcomes that are happening with youth in terms of 76% going on to reach for higher education, college, technical training.
What we also know as a statistic is that one out of three kids are on a weekly basis, are not spending meaningful time with a caring adult during the non-school hours. So the need for mentors and volunteers in our community is great. At New Pathways for Youth. We have over 150 kids this year that we will be seeking to match with a mentor. These are kids who have stepped up and said, “I’m on a trajectory in life I don’t want to be on and I need help to change it,” and we need more people like Eugenia stepping up in our community to be that committed mentor to these youth.
Carey Pena: Eugenia, let me ask you, on the subject of kids being unsupervised, it scares me to death that kids, and I know there are still … My mom was a single mom. I know every parent is fighting their own battle to try to be at home with their kids, to try to have that balance and some folks just have to work a lot. And I get that, but it scares me so much about the dangers when the kids are left alone.
You’re 23, you have a pretty good grasp on how many dangers are out there and these kids now, I mean I love social media, but there’s a whole underworld that once you’re exposed to it, it can be so damaging.
Eugenia: Absolutely. It’s a little scary having that conversation, especially with my mentee who is going on to be 17 years old in three weeks. He is practically a young adult and he’s getting ready for the world out there and he feels like he’s the man of the home and I’m proud of him for that. It’s a little bit scary because sometimes it’s a lot of the paths that a lot of youth have taken before and sometimes it doesn’t work out, but I’m really confident in my mentee. I’m confident in his ability to empathize, to take perspective, and to use that to make the home a better place.
Carey Pena: Christy, when you reflect back on your life and how you’ve come to where you are today, what do you think about? What were some of the things that along the way, you talked about your grandparents really propelling you to go on, but you’ve achieved a great deal of success. What are some of the secrets to how you’ve gotten to where you are?
Christy M.: I think Eugenia just touched on it. It’s kind of powerful to hear her share that it’s having someone to tell you that they believe in you and what they believe in, but it’s so important to have someone to tell you how to achieve that and so often we invest in our youth by telling them you can be anything you want to be, but we don’t tell them how. And that was the difference. I had grandparents telling me I could do it and I had mentors showing me how along the way and when I listened to Eugenia and her example of her youth and college, she’s helping him find out how to make that a possibility, not that it’s just an unattainable goal.
Carey Pena: Well, I love that you say that because when I’ve given speeches in particular, I love helping out whenever I can with the young women who are trying to find focus in their life and I always talk about you have to have a game plan. It’s wonderful to have dreams. Everybody at every age should have dreams, but you need to have a game plan so you can put those dreams into action and you sort of teach the kids. How do you get them in there and really construct a game plan that’s specific to get from A to B, B to C and go out and live a great life?
Christy M.: So our curriculum teaches that. One of the core things we work on with our youth is their ultimate goal being college and career readiness, that they will go to college and/or have a career that they are achieving what they want in life.
And then we start breaking that down, as early as age nine or in Eugenia’s youth example, at the age of 17 in eight week projects. So where am I in this stage of life is of youth that I’m working on something that is related to getting to that goal. So for example, the mentee that I have, one of the eight week projects we worked on was to get his driver’s license, knowing that in our community that would be an essential way to get to and from work as he becomes an adult.
So it was an eight week project that ultimately is leading toward his broader goal, his bigger goal of college and career readiness. So in our program we break down, every youth is working on an eight week project at all times and their mentor is helping them and coaching them along the way to be successful in that eight week project. For some of the kids it’s going to show up and have perfect attendance at school during this eight weeks. That’s a foundation for another eight week project of I now have attendance at school and I’m showing up so I can now focus on my grades.
Carey Pena: It’s a measurable goal.
Christy M.: Yes.
Carey Pena: And when you see these kids hitting their goals, what kind of emotional shift? It’s like someone who really wants to lose some weight and get healthier and you’re frustrated and you’re frustrated, but then all of a sudden you see you lost four pounds and you feel a lot more energetic and it just motivates you to keep going. What sort of emotional shift do you see in these kids? And that must just be really wonderful to see.
Christy M.: Oh my God, this is … when you asked me the question about when I walk in every day, it’s watching the kids and watching them evolve and then literally transform. You will watch a kid come in, first day of the program and you just see the weight of the world on them. It’s in their face, it’s on their shoulders, it’s how they carry themselves-
Carey Pena: And it’s unfair that kids have to carry those burdens.
Christy M.: Yes, it is.
Carey Pena: It’s unfair.
Christy M.: And then you’ll see three to four months later, a kid will walk in our center and their shoulders are back and their head is high and they have a smile on their face and they are ready to tell you about what they have accomplished and what’s next for them. And they are so focused and driven to make that happen. It transforms my life every day.
Carey Pena: I can see it in your face and the pride that you feel when you see that shift. You know, I was looking on your … I was trolling around on your social media a little bit. I hope you don’t mind. And I saw something that stood out to me and you said that you had Joelle Hadley, a culture coach in to train the staff and the mentors on emotional intelligence. So, I was curious about that. What did you learn from her?
Christy M.: A lot.
Carey Pena: I mean, emotional intelligence. Is that how you deal with the kids or with one another?
Christy M.: It’s actually a set of skill sets to understand what happens in our presence and in our body when we hit our triggers in life and it’s exactly what we’re teaching our kids. How do they recognize their beliefs and their thoughts about themselves and how those beliefs and thoughts may be standing as a barrier for them to reach their ultimate goal. And when I have that awareness, how do I now shift my belief about myself and start developing new patterns of thought that allow me to actually show up and behave or act in a way that’s consistent with the future I see for myself?
Carey Pena: So taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. I love that, to teach that at a young age because that’s something a lot of adults could use a crash course on. Right?
Christy M.: That is, exactly.
Carey Pena: Eugenia, I want to hear from you: what’s next? I mean, you’re just a light. You’re a bright light and I’m just excited to see what’s next for you.
Eugenia: You know it’s not really, it’s what’s next for mentees. My youth is going to be graduating in two Mays from now and I’m very confident that he will. My other mentee is starting her freshman year in high school and she recently told me that she aspires to be valedictorian when she graduates.
Carey Pena: Well, that’s a pretty big goal.
Eugenia: That’s what’s next.
Carey Pena: And do you have any sense of what you want to do from a business perspective? Maybe we should recruit you to run for office. I’m thinking that would be pretty smart.
Eugenia: Funny you say that. Law school is next.
Carey Pena: Very good. You keep on that track and before we let you guys go, I just have had so much fun with this conversation because I love nothing more than sitting down with two incredible women who are putting good into this world. That just makes me so happy. I like to ask everyone before I let them go, and Christy has this worried look on her face, like, what’s she going to ask me? What’s going on? What’s happening? I just want to know what inspires you.
Christy M.: The youth inspire me, watching the transformation that they create in their life at such a young age and having overcome such challenges and obstacles at that point to create a new possibility and to live into that possibility to be their best self. That inspires me, and the mentors who serve them.
Carey Pena: Who are doing it out of the goodness of their heart.
Christy M.: They’re giving graciously of their time and their talents and their treasures. Just like Eugenia is.
Carey Pena: Eugenia, what inspires you?
Eugenia: Being pleasantly surprised by the youth, by the people that I’m surrounded with, by everyone.
Carey Pena: By life.
Eugenia: Yes.
Carey Pena: That’s a good thing, right? Ladies, thank you so much. And how would folks who want to find out more information, Christine where do they find you guys?
Christy M.: They can visit us at NPFY.org. It stands for New Pathways for Youth.org.
Carey Pena: Or they can troll around on your social media like I have. Thank you guys so much for being with us in the studio today and thanks to all of you for listening.
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“If you share from a place of vulnerability, the real healing happens.” Tracey Martin is a Life and Wellness Coach based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
At an early age, she was the victim of domestic violence. Martin says walking out of that violent relationship helped frame the way she sees life. She believes the key is focusing on the future, not the past.
Martin is living proof that the strategy is a good one.
Not only is she a successful coach, she also has a fashion line, Threads of Evolution www.threadsofevolution.com Her handbags can frequently be seen on the arms of celebrities like Julia Roberts.
We asked for her top tips when it comes to improving overall health and wellness.
It all starts and ends with food, she says. “Food is your medicine. Understand what you are taking in and why you are taking it in.”
Martin then shared the following tips:
- Learn to understand and channel your own intuition.
Martin has 15 questions she asks her coaching clients. The first one is Are You Happy? “It is amazing to me how many people have to stop and think about it,” she says. “They have gotten so numb they can’t understand what it feels like to be happy.” In large part, she says, it has to do with the fact that so many people are unhappy with work. “If you love what you do, it feeds your soul.”
- Realizing fear is an illusion.
“You always have the power to change your reality.” In relationships and in work, Martin says people make the mistake of giving their power away. “When you take that back it is a piece of the puzzle you are putting back together.”
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Being your own advocate, using your voice, and asking powerful questions.
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Owning your own greatness.
There needs to be a call to action in each of our lives. “People always talk about their fear of failure.” Martin says, “I think more people are fearful of success. Once you have that, then what? It is fear of the unknown.”
- Start with what is in front of you.
It can be overwhelming if you try to fix everything all at once. Start with what it in front of you and there will be a ripple effect with the rest.
For more on Tracey Martin, go to www.evolutionwithtracey.com
The post 5 Ways To Improve Your Life Today with Life and Wellness Coach Tracey Martin appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“I like to compare it to wealth accumulation. There is no one way that a person can accumulate large amounts of wealth at one time. It takes time. The same with a weight loss program. If you have gained weight over many, many years, the way to loose that is to take some time. But people get on an emotional response to losing quickly.”
Kevin Shepard is a former athlete turned trainer and nutritionist. He believes fad diets — all of them — are a mistake. Instead, Shepard encourages clients to make lifestyle changes to lose weight and keep it off.
He says sleep is the single most important part of the health and wellness equation. Figure out what amount of sleep allows you to function at the highest level — if possible, 8 hours.
Here are Shepard’s other top tips:
-Watch your sugar intake: Men should eat no more than 25 grams. Women should eat more than 16 grams.
-Focus on breakfast. He recommends oatmeal because it fills you up and gives you energy.
-For a mid-day snack, eat fresh fruit (no more than 4 ounces).
-At lunch have a salad and/or lean protein.
-In the mid-afternoon have a snack! Try raw nuts, boiled eggs, a protein shake or another 4 ounces of fruit.
-At dinner time, Shepard says eat something reasonable and pay attention to portion size. After dinner, he emphasizes, the kitchen is closed. Do not enter. This is where so many people stumble when it comes to weight loss and gain.
Shepard says we need to take responsibility for how we fuel our bodies. “You eat disease. So either you eat foods that boost your immune system and fend off disease or you eat foods which can break down your immune system and allow the disease to grow.”
He is a very busy trainer and nutrition coach in Scottsdale, Arizona. His star client is a woman named LA Kowall. She was diagnosed a decade ago ago with ALS and told to go home and “rest her body”. She refused. In fact, she did the opposite.
LA told Kevin she wanted to “move before she dies”. What the two found out was how much she could accomplish by going beyond the limits. “Her disease tries to keep her from moving her body and I say push it,” Shepard says. (see LA’s story here https://inspiredmedia360tv.com/10/ ))
LA has an all terrain wheelchair and on the days when she is not in the gym, she is with Shepard on the hiking trails. He tells her, and all of his clients, “The body is a perpetual motion machine that needs to be moved on a regular basis.”
No excuses. Take action.
The post Treat Your Body Like A Ferrari with Kevin Shepard, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“You teach by behavior instead of what you say.” Dr. Kellie Warren is a powerhouse. A CEO named one of the most admired leaders of 2015 in Phoenix. Dr. Warren talks to Carey about her leadership style as the head of the powerful non-profit, Florence Crittenton. Warren says she works with purpose and teaches her staff to do the same. Their mission is for the girls who walk through their doors, many broken and abused, to walk away empowered and seeing their full potential.
Podcast Transcript Carey Pena: Hey everyone. I’m Carey Pena. Thank you so much for joining us. “I raise up my voice, not so I can shout, but so those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” That is a quote from Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has become a symbol of the fight for girls worldwide.
Our guest today, Dr. Kellie Warren, is the CEO of Florence Crittenton. Kellie, thank you so much for being here.
Dr. Warren: Thank you for having me.
Carey Pena: Can I call you Kellie? Or Dr. Warren?
Dr. Warren: Kellie’s fine.
Carey Pena: All right. Your mission is to give every girl whose life you touch safety, hope, and opportunity. The quote I just read from Malala, who was shot in the forehead by the Taliban because she wanted to go to school, because she’s fighting for the rights of girls to go to school, tell me your reaction to that quote.
Dr. Warren: It just resonates with me, and really represents the mission of Florence Crittenton. I think, for me, we are a voice for girls. We listen to their voice, and we respond on their behalf. More than that, we understand how important it is for girls to have a safe place to get the services they need. So when I hear that it really represents the work that Florence Crittenton does, and my personal journey in life.
Carey Pena: What does it mean to say, “Every girl matters.”?
Dr. Warren: Every girl that comes through our door, no matter what her background is, her story is, her social economic status, her culture, sexual orientation, identity, it doesn’t really matter. If she walks through those doors, we have to give all of ourselves on her behalf.
Carey Pena: Well, I want to talk to you a little bit about being the CEO of this organization, and your personal success as a woman and a business leader in just a minute. But first, a little bit more about this agency. Florence Crittenton is a social service agency, one of the oldest. It began in 1896 in central Phoenix, serving unwed mothers. And today you help approximately 1,200 girls and young women a year. One of the things that you guys focus on is helping these girls and young women become empowered to reach their full potential. How are you able to do this when so many girls who walk through your doors are coming from horrendous circumstances? Some who’ve been abused emotionally and physically, some have been homeless, some are teen mothers. There’s just such a plethora of problems that these girls have faced at very young ages. How do you go about trying to break down what they’ve been through and then show them there is life out there, there is a future, and empower them to take control of their lives?
Dr. Warren: I think first of all we have a full continuum of care. In other words, we offer many services. It’s not a one-size-fits all. So our girls there are as young as 10, all the way to their 18th birthday. They have an opportunity to work through our therapeutic group home where we provide behavior health services. So we employ qualified mental health professionals in that program, as well as behavior health staff, and we introduce the girls, again, to education and support. They go on their own treatment journey. Some of them stay with us from 90 to 120 days on average. But some of the girls have been there close to a year. So I think for the girls that need that intensive behavior health, support for mental illness, substance abuse, and trauma, that’s a good program for them.
We also have a girls’ ranch program. If they’re 12 to 18, pregnant parenting and non-parenting, we provide a safe home and support for them to receive life skills, self-sufficiency, and parenting classes. Their babies actually have the opportunity to live with them while our staff teach them how to be good parents, and maybe break some of those cycles that they’ve been exposed to, if you will.
Carey Pena: Mental health issues is such a big problem in our society. Because you deal with so many young women and young girls who have mental health issues, at a young age, what do you think it is? And I know there’s no magic bullet, but what have you seen as a piece of your success in sort of showing these girls that they do have the power to go out and live a decent, fulfilled, healthy life?
Dr. Warren: Well, I think starting with our therapeutic group home, we do a screening, an assessment process, and we also assess for trauma, because sometimes trauma mirrors mental illness. Sometimes you’re responding to the trauma in a way that looks like you’re suffering from a major mental illness. So I think it’s important for us as a voice for girls to consider the impact of trauma.
And during that journey, while they’re with us we give them the tools and resources to live their own lives. And we try to motivate them and instill hope so that they know that whatever they’ve been through, there’s still a promising future. So I believe when they walk through the door, many of them do not see hope. But when they walk away, they can be so empowered to live their full potential. We have future senators, presidents, engineers right in our hands. So I believe if we believe in them and we demonstrate support and treat them with dignity and respect, many of them can start to see hope or a future that they didn’t even think they were worth having that opportunity.
Carey Pena: How important is it that these girls, and this could be applied to all sorts of folks in a society who’ve been treated poorly, who’ve suffered trauma, and now are sort of cast aside as having mental health problems, how important is the respect component, feeling that they matter?
Dr. Warren: I think you teach by your behavior, instead of what you say. So we can promote this great mission, but if we don’t believe in that mission and walk the walk, we have less of an opportunity to really impact their lives. Maybe they haven’t had anyone to say, “You’re beautiful. You have the opportunity to be the greatest whatever: veterinarian, doctor, lawyer, what have you.”
We have a teachable moment every day with these girls, and we have to stay consistent and supportive and let them know that we care. That does more than any of our treatment, in my opinion.
Carey Pena: Well, you are such an incredible woman in your own right. I have to say to our listeners, I mean, you walked in here in this incredible red dress. I mean, you are a fashionista. And these shoes that are beyond amazing leopard shoes. And the Phoenix Business Journal recently named you, congratulations, one of the valley’s most admired leaders of 2015. That’s huge. That’s such a huge honor.
Dr. Warren: Thank you.
Carey Pena: What kind of personal attributes do you bring to your role as CEO to try to keep your staff motivated?
Dr. Warren: I think I just try to encourage them to really work with purpose. I think that every last one of our staff, no matter what role they play, have a purpose in these girls’ story. So I think when you have purpose somewhere and you give all your heart, it makes it feel good to be there. And in social services and nonprofit work, it’s not the money that draws us. It has to be the mission. So I try to walk each day with a purpose-drive life. And I like these girls to know just how special they are. They pay very close attention to me and the other staff, and so my example will either break some cycles, or continue to validate to them that they are not worth anything. So for the staff, I believe I encourage them to bring their purpose in every day, and let these girls know that we are collectively rooting for them.
Carey Pena: You know, Dr. Warren, one thing that you just said really strikes me, because I’m fascinated how more and more people today, both in the nonprofit world, and just in the corporate world are searching for more purpose in their lives and in their jobs. Something you just said really struck me: that you try to give your employees, the folks who work with you, motivation that you believe in them. What do you see the reaction being? Psychologically, there has to be a shift when people know that the CEO cares about what they’re doing and values them, because we’re not seeing that in every company today. We’re seeing people feel just so broken down, and just worked to the bone. That sort of steals your soul a little bit.
Dr. Warren: Well, I think for me, I just feel very blessed to have been selected. I don’t think that I’m just teaching girls. I’m also being an example for staff. And people believed in me. So I think that I’m where I am today because I had people that invested in my life, so I want to invest in our staff’s life. And I’m so amazed by their courage and commitment to come in every day and deal with girls who are oftentimes broken and don’t believe in the staff that show up. So I just find it so meaningful, even for me to spend time and build relationships with these staff, and encourage them to fight the fight, and come in every day with their smiles, and keep trying, even when girls have given up on themselves and the world.
Carey Pena: And when you do see a girl who rises out of that, that must be a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.
Dr. Warren: It’s major. And I think every day that I walk around … so I’m a walk-around leader. I don’t sit in my office-
Carey Pena: You’re not in your office with the doors shut, “Do not disturb”?
Dr. Warren: No. No. No. Not at all. I walk around every day, and I’m reminded of how much these girls need us. My staff know me. I know them. And I care about the girls and the staff. So to me, that gives me some meaning in my life, because I will not land anywhere in a job unless there’s a purpose that I can fulfill. So I am just encouraged by them. Because without them, there’s no way that we can deliver the safety, hope, and opportunity to these girls. I need every last one of them.
Carey Pena: You try to teach these girls to become more than a statistic and accomplish all of their dreams. Do you think there is a level playing field out there for women in general? And I ask you that for multiple reasons, one, because I’m just curious what your thoughts are. But I also read the other day, Sheryl Sandberg published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, and it was titled, When Women Get Stuck, Corporate America Gets Stuck. And just to kind of boil this down for you, her organization, LeanIn.org, which I know you know a lot about, just published a study about the state of women in the workplace for 2015. Part of their results are as follows. I’m quoting here: “Women see an uneven playing field. A workplace tilted against them. Women are twice as likely to believe their gender will make it harder to advance, and senior-level women view gender as a bigger obstacle than entry-level women.”
So I’m just wondering kind of what your thoughts are and how you prepare your girls to go out there. Do you feel that there is a level playing field? How do you prepare them to go out and take on the world?
Dr. Warren: I think that your gifts really make room for you. So I don’t think that the world is necessarily fair. I don’t think that the girls, even with their greatest gift, will always be afforded opportunities, but I want them to learn from my story. So, I’ve been the first at many things. I think the mistake my parents made was to tell me that I was beautiful and I could do whatever. And I’ve walked through life like that. So I don’t ever let anyone tell me who I am. My worth comes from inside.
When I don’t look at the world to validate me, I have a better life. So I want these girls to focus on their education. I want them to get beyond their past story and see their future. And I believe that, despite the world’s craziness, they can accomplish whatever they need to accomplish. So I’ve lived it. I mean, I was a deputy director of juvenile corrections. Corrections was seen as a male-dominant career. But I came in there every day and gave all my might. And I knew in the end they would change their opinions. So for the girls, I want them to know that, “Don’t look for the world to validate you. Learn to love and validate yourself.” I think that’s one of the greatest gifts we can give them.
Carey Pena: That is such great advice. Florence Crittenton is well known to have very successful fundraising, including the Teaming Up For Girls luncheon, which I was so honored to emcee for several years. And I will never, ever forget the year that kidnapping survivor, Elizabeth Smart, spoke at the luncheon. She was the keynote. And I interviewed her up on stage. And I was so amazed that she does not live her life with a victim mentality, even after all that she went through: being kidnapped and forcibly raped day after day. How do you go about teaching these girls to escape the victim mentality?
Dr. Warren: Well, I think we deliver a lot of services. So through our individual, group, and family therapy we do a lot of work. But more than that, I think we have a great opportunity to teach them that they are more than their past, that they can write their own story. So Elizabeth Smart taught all of us, a couple of years ago, that you can go beyond the tragic situation and live a fulfilling life. I think the girls walked away hearing that. I heard it. It validated how I kind of see the world as well. So we’re encouraging these girls to take a different route. Don’t let the tragic situation, the trauma that they’ve experienced, the neglect, abuse or anything define them. That they have the power of the pen, and they can write their own stories. So I think that’s one of the greatest gifts that we can give at Florence Crittenton to the girls we serve.
Carey Pena: Do you think that that is a conscious decision that we all have to make: to get past whatever stuff is in our past, and everybody has stuff, and make a conscious decision to write your own story?
Dr. Warren: I think we are empowered to write our own stories. There’s the statistics that have told me who I should be. I’ve never really listened to that, because I had people that invested in me, believed in me, and told me at a very young age that I can conquer whatever. So I have the power of my pen, and I write in a different story. So I don’t worry about the playing field. I don’t worry about what the TV says about people that look like me. I know that I have a purpose in this life, and I’m going to spend this life living it and serving others.
Carey Pena: I love it. And you feel so fulfilled. You just have a peace about you, a strength, but a peace. And I think that’s because you’re so comfortable in your own skin as a woman, and as a leader. What a great example for these girls to see in you.
Dr. Warren: Thank you.
Carey Pena: I mean, you’re an amazing example. One of your big accomplishments at Flo Crit is the Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona, the state’s first and only single-gender public high school. I read an article published last year where you were quoted as saying, “Research has shown that there are many benefits to single-gender education, including high academic achievement, improved self-confidence, and increased college enrollment.” What has been your experience and what are some of the statistics that you’re seeing there?
Dr. Warren: Well, first of all, we opened the doors in 2011, and last year we graduated 33 girls, many of whom had started with us in 2011. Of the 33 girls that graduated, 100% of them were accepted into a college. That’s all I need to say.
Carey Pena: You changed their lives.
Dr. Warren: Exactly. And I think we provide a safe place for girls to accel and support one another, and learn leadership, college preparation. With the state of education in Arizona, I’m so grateful that our board of directors decided to invest in education. You cannot have opportunity, as our mission describes, without having education. So our Girls Leadership Academy allows girls from everywhere. I think we have about 33 zip codes represented in our school, to come and get quality education, and to get a teaching staff that really drives them, pushes them, and believes in them. So I’m very excited that we started with an idea, and it is now a major accomplishment for our girls.
Carey Pena: Another way you guys raise money is the Heels For Healing event. And I mentioned earlier about your amazing leopard shoes. So you wore them on a perfect day because the Heels For Healing event is going on this weekend. Tell us about it.
Dr. Warren: I’m so excited. We are having our seventh annual Heels For Healing event right at our store, Flo’s on 7th. It’s on the corner of 7th Avenue and Indian School. So we kick it off with the Diva Dash, which is a high heel race where our participants have paid $25 to run in this obstacle course. We have males and females participating.
Carey Pena: It’s always so funny. I love it.
Dr. Warren: So we’re giving awards to the person with the highest heel, which for the last two years has been a man.
Carey Pena: Oh, wow!
Dr. Warren: Yes!
Carey Pena: Impressive!
Dr. Warren: Yes! And for the person with the fastest time, and the team with the fastest time. We kick it off, and then we sell at our thrift store new and gently-used shoes and handbags to the public. Our goal is to raise money. Then, we send the proceeds back to our programs.
Carey Pena: And by the way, for people who are listening who are not in Arizona, people can always visit the website because you guys have incredible things there. I mean, very high end. You have some Chanel there. I know one year I donated a pair of Lanvin high heels. I parted with them. They were … my wrist was … I was clenching. But I know that they were going to a great place. So how can people find out more information if they want to check it out, here in Arizona or elsewhere?
Dr. Warren: So they just go to our website, FloCrit.org, and learn about the agency’s history, the life-changing programs, our thrift store, our Heels For Healing event, and any other fundraisers that we have.
Carey Pena: I always like to ask our guests before we end this show, what personally inspires you?
Dr. Warren: I think the girls. I mean, when I’m having a rough day, I just walk the campus, and they greet me with pictures, and … One of the girls just drew me a picture thanking me, calling me the best CEO, and she loved me, and she had a high heel on it. So I think the best part of my job is I get to touch these girls’ lives every day, advocate for them, be a voice for them. And I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
Carey Pena: Well, it goes without saying you know how amazing I think you are personally, woman to woman. You’re just incredible.
Dr. Warren: Thank you.
Carey Pena: You’re an inspiration. And Florence Crittenton, the work that has been done at that facility year after year, it’s God’s work, really. I mean, you’re changing lives for these girls. It just makes me so proud to have been a part of that mission over the years. Dr. Warren, thank you so much.
Dr. Warren: Thank you as well.
Carey Pena: It’s always a pleasure to see you. Now go out with that red dress and those leopard shoes and stir it up out there today!
Thanks for listening, everyone. I’m Carey Pena. Today’s show was produced and engineered by Shannon Hernandez, brought to you by Inspired Media 360. Until next time, stay inspired.
The post How Non Profit CEO Dr. Kellie Warren is Changing Lives and Giving Girls a Chance appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
“It was that phone call that you get in the middle of the night. The one that every parent dreads. We got the call about 5 in the morning. Christopher was taken to Tulane Emergency Medical Center. They didn’t know what was wrong. He was non responsive.”
Eric Gregory and his wife Grace rushed to be with their son. 19 year old Christopher, a tall, handsome, gym going guy, had suffered a brain aneurysm. It was without warning.
“When you get that news, suddenly the entire universe is turned inside out. Everything is wrong. Everything is backwards,” Gregory says, “this dull ache sets into your heart and your soul.”
Not long before this tragedy, the family had all been together at dinner and talk had turned to organ donation. Christopher, his dad recalls, said if anything ever happened to him, he wanted his organs donated.
When Christopher’s life abruptly came to an end, his family saw that his wishes were fulfilled. They thought maybe something positive could come out of tragedy.
As the Gregory’s struggled to say goodbye to their son, to try to memorize every feature on his face, they were told, “There are planes flying all over tonight because of you.” Christopher’s organs were being rushed to patients in dire need. He ended up saving five lives.
“Throughout the United States about 124,000 people are waiting for life-saving organ transplants,” says Jacqueline Keidel from AZ Donor Network. She says it is important for families to have conversations — like the Gregorys had — to express individual wishes.
Eventually, the Gregorys would meet the people whose lives were saved by Christopher’s decision to donate his organs. Including Jorge Barcardi, the Patriarch of the Barcardi family.
Gregory describes their first meeting.
“We get to their hotel, we walked in, they turned and suddenly it was like in slow motion. Everyone was crying and it was a very emotional moment,” he goes on to say, “We didn’t know their name was Barcardi, it didn’t matter, it still doesn’t. It was clear the impact of Christopher’s gift — it went way beyond.”
Gregory is now working on a book about the week their son died. The relationships that were formed in the hospital and the lives that were saved all over the country.
7 years and 5 months later, Christopher’s “heart still beats, his eyes still see, his lungs draw breath and his love of humanity is still very much alive”.
The post Teen Organ Donor Saves Five Lives appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Lori Golberg is an Arizona wife and mother from an affluent neighborhood known as Paradise Valley. She is also a philanthropy powerhouse. Goldberg made it her mission to get outside of her comfort zone. Her charity, Global Family, works to rescue from poverty as many children as possible in a place she fell in love with years ago — Haiti. Not only has Goldberg changed the lives of hundreds of children, she has pushed friends and family out of their comfort zones and into new awareness about life and love.
Podcast Transcript Carey Pena: Hey everyone, it’s Carey Pena. Glad to have you with us today. “When you dare to step out of your comfort zone and simply believe that you can make a difference, you will be led down paths you’ve never imagined.” That is a quote from Kim Hupke after she did a volunteer project with Global Family. The founder of Global Family, Lori Goldberg, is with us in studio today. Lori, thank you so much for being here. It’s great to see you.
Lori Goldberg: It’s great to see you and thank you for having me.
Carey Pena: Kim Hupke volunteered with you back in 2010, and like so many people who’ve gotten involved with your great organization, she says it was life-changing. She went on to say in this quote, “Global Family gave me the opportunity to dare to step out of my comfort zone and I am forever changed.” What’s your reaction to that quote?
Lori Goldberg: It brings me so much joy, because that is my goal, for every volunteer to go into the trip with an open heart and an open mind, and experience all the country has to offer.
Carey Pena: Let’s talk about what Global Family is and how it all began. It really began with you stepping out of your own comfort zone. You came up with the idea in 2008 when you and your husband shared what you call, your Haiti, with your two daughters. What do you mean by your Haiti?
Lori Goldberg: Well, there are so many things about Haiti that are so personal to me. The sights, the smells, the people. My senses come alive when I’m there. People welcome you with open arms, and they smile, and they laugh, and they’re happy to see you. They know that you’re there to be with them and believe in them. But, sharing it with our daughters, we went into it not knowing what to expect, whether it would be really challenging for them, because they were young, or if it would be the most beautiful thing in the world. We were just so blessed to have an incredible experience with them, that they just went with the flow. They were somewhat overwhelmed with things and with people wanting to be close to them, because there aren’t a lot of children that travel to Haiti. It was a really wonderful experience for them that just opened our hearts to the idea of sharing it with more families and more individuals.
Carey Pena: I know people have asked you over the years, “Why Haiti? Why did you choose Haiti?” Do you have a good answer for that, or is it something that just spoke to you?
Lori Goldberg: Something spoke to me. The people spoke to me, especially the children. When I first went, I was there to support schools and education programs, and I really didn’t realize how many orphans there are in Haiti. Not true orphans, just parents giving their children up, because they can’t afford to care for them. They’ll put them in an orphanage, so they have a better life, and get to go to school, and have more opportunity.
Carey Pena: This is what has been really impactful to me over the years as I’ve watched Global Family grow, because you have such a personal connection to this mission. A lot of women and men do charity work, and I think that is beautiful. Anyone who steps outside of their comfort zone and does charity work should be commended. But something about your level of involvement really struck me. You live in a beautiful house. You live in an affluent neighborhood. You never had to get involved in doing this. But not only do you raise the money … I want people who are listening to know more about you. You go there regularly. You go out yourself on missions that are potentially hazardous to your own health. You rescue children from … I remember one story where you rescued a little girl from a gutter or something, correct?
Lori Goldberg: Clara. She is still with us.
Carey Pena: You went down there … Tell me that story.
Lori Goldberg: Well, a police officer told us about a little baby girl, a newborn, that was born, and it was next to the river. The mother was mentally and physically disabled, and they said that there was no hope for this little girl unless someone could rescue her, and take her to the hospital and take her in. We found Clara. She was in a very small makeshift tent on the floor, dirt floor. Her aunt was helping to care for her, because her mother, I think, was having issues feeding her. She had never seen the light of day. She was five days old when we rescued her.
Carey Pena: What was that like emotionally, for you to see a baby just sort of discarded in that way?
Lori Goldberg: Emotionally overwhelming, that there was no way … Whatever we had to do, we were going to save her, and bring her into our family and into our home. She’s the most resilient little thing that you’ll ever meet.
Carey Pena: How old is she now?
Lori Goldberg: She’s four.
Carey Pena: She’s four years old.
Lori Goldberg: She’s just full of everything.
Carey Pena: Well, the funny thing about you, I want the listeners to know, is you are a very tiny little woman. How tall are you? Just a tiny slight little woman.
Lori Goldberg: I like to say almost 5′ 4″.
Carey Pena: Okay, so we’ll give you 5′ 4″. But the thing is, is when you go down, when you go to Haiti, you really open a can of whoop you know what, because you are not messing around. You’re there to save as many children as possible, and you guys actually have built a home. This is what I love. You started Global Family, and you started going on these missions, and then you decided to do something sort of very tangible and organized. Tell me about this home that you built.
Lori Goldberg: Well, the home that we built is for the neediest children. We have had children that have come in and stayed with us, and we’ve just fostered them, and then successfully reunited them with their family, because often times there are so many stories that come with children, that someone will say they don’t have living parents, but they actually do. We really want people to know that if we can help you, if we can give you opportunity, create a small business for you, we want your child to be with you, we don’t want you to have to give your child up. But, the home that we built is really all about growing our family. We bring volunteers down there regularly. We have so many repeat volunteers that are madly in love with our children. Our kids get so excited to see them. They have ongoing relationships with them. It’s a beautiful thing.
Carey Pena: Lori, how have you dealt with the criticism over the years when people say, “Why aren’t you putting the money here at home? Why aren’t you opening an orphanage here at home, or putting your money into kids who need help in the United States?”
Lori Goldberg: It’s a really tough question, and it’s hard for me to answer, because you really have to experience Haiti firsthand to understand the need there. It is so great. It is all about survival, and for these children, and the elderly that we help, it really is a matter of life or death, because everybody’s trying to survive.
Carey Pena: It was made so much worse in 2010. I believe that was the year of the devastating earthquake, magnitude 7.0, that struck Haiti, killing more than 160,000 people, displacing close to 1.5 million people. When I read that statistic, I had to read it a few times, because to wrap your brain around 1.5 million people being displaced. Five years later, a lot of scars remain in Haiti. The citizens there are still dependent on housing and medical aid. According to a stat from the UN World Food Program, 100,000 children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition. What do you see when you go down there? Describe it to me.
Lori Goldberg: You see children that aren’t clothed, they’re barefoot. The malnourished children have lighter hair and big bellies. Because they don’t have clean drinking water, most of them have parasites, which are eating all the nutrients if they are getting any food. But sadly, Haitians are lucky to have one meal a day, and our children have three meals a day, and they’re healthy, and flourishing and thriving. But, it’s very desperate.
Carey Pena: There’s been some criticism over the years. Since this earthquake, a lot of money was raised to try to help the Haitian people, but there is a certain level of corruption there. How have you been able to cut through that and try to protect your own efforts?
Lori Goldberg: Well, with us, everything is a firsthand experience. We deliver our donations to our projects. We’re there regularly, so we’re not shipping things, and we’re sending things directly to our family members that manage our projects. But it is a very challenging place to work, because of the corruption.
Carey Pena: I want to talk to you about the emotional aspect of this. When you go to Haiti and you see this level of poverty, this level of struggle … And you are known I think as Momma Lori there. I mean, how do you return to the states to your beautiful house, to your great life, which you and your husband have worked so hard to have, but how do you return and not feel a level of guilt? How do you come back and not think about every single child there? I would just want to just bring them all back with me.
Lori Goldberg: I do come home, and it is a big adjustment, and a very emotional one because I miss them. But I realize that creating change from within and empowering this generation could be the solution for Haiti, through education, through love, through positive relationships and role models. It’s a country that’s been forgotten, and it hasn’t had great leadership, and it’s a very challenging place. But I will say that Haitians are generally very happy people. Very, very happy.
Carey Pena: What does that tell you about the human spirit, when you’re in a place like Haiti and you meet a mom. I know a lot of the stories I’ve read, the photojournalists who’ve gone to Haiti and documented, particularly since the earthquake. It’s amazing to me to see the resilience of the human spirit, that you see a mom, who’s a single mom, who’s got three, four children, and they’re living basically in shambles, and barely any food, like you said, no clothing. But there does seem to be a sense of happiness. Is it a very religious place?
Lori Goldberg: It is a religious place. The strength that Haitians have, it really blows me away. There can be a storm and your entire home could be flooded, and they’re outside waving. They’re just use to living this way. Unfortunately, we are so spoiled that we can’t even wrap our mind around something like that, that how could your home be flooded and you could still be happy and waving? We’d be going crazy.
Carey Pena: Yeah. What has this taught you? Have you sort of had to gut check, because you know as women, we like clothing, we like fashion. Does it come a point where you feel like, “Enough. I don’t need so much more stuff.”
Lori Goldberg: Definitely. I will say that it has given me a new perspective. What’s important to me is really my family and the people that I love, and good health, and helping others. It’s not about things, it’s about people.
Carey Pena: I want to talk to you about some of the creative ways that you have raised money and filled needs over the years, including Chicks For Children. I think this is so great. Tell us about this.
Lori Goldberg: Chicks For Children is about chickens, building chicken coops and sharing the gift of what a chicken can actually do. It’s a campaign that should alleviate hunger, and help people build a business, and provide good nutrition to their family members.
Carey Pena: How does it work?
Lori Goldberg: Well, we actually love to share chickens and build coops for those in need. What we do is we provide training to them on how to raise chickens. They have to commit to share the offspring and help them create a little business, so they can understand what this one chicken can do, and what it can provide to their family and to the community.
Carey Pena: Where are you doing this, Chicks For Children?
Lori Goldberg: Well, we’re doing it in Haiti, but we also just built a coop here in Phoenix at Starshine Academy.
Carey Pena: Oh, how wonderful.
Lori Goldberg: It’s wonderful.
Carey Pena: That’s great. You are doing some projects here at home as well and spreading your love here locally. You also have had some success with pop-up stores, and I know a lot of charities are often trying to figure out ways to raise money. Tell folks how you have been able to navigate a pop-up store. You said the last time you did it, you raised enough money to send an entire crate of medical supplies to Haiti.
Lori Goldberg: Yes.
Carey Pena: Tell us more about that.
Lori Goldberg: Well, the pop-up is really fun, because who doesn’t want to buy merchandise and support a great cause? But, our current pop-up is at the Scottsdale Waterfront, and the space was donated to us from the Waterfront. Then, we’ve also had so many shoes donated through Shoe Biz San Francisco, High Point, Adrian Wilson.
Carey Pena: Adrian Wilson is so great. The Cardinals player Adrian Wilson, yeah, he’s wonderful.
Lori Goldberg: He’s wonderful. He’s been there for us through and through.
Carey Pena: He’s helped you guys a lot, right?
Lori Goldberg: A lot. A lot. He participated in our pop-up three years ago. He came to our galas. He’s a wonderful man. Very humble, very kind, very giving.
Carey Pena: I’m glad you brought that up too, because I find often times a lot of professional athletes are really out there doing some tremendous things that they don’t have to do, and that they are not asking for credit. So often all we hear is the one story of an athlete who does something bad and it gets tons of press, but at the same time there are so many athletes out there doing wonderful things. I’m glad you brought up Adrian Wilson. The pop-up store is going for how long?
Lori Goldberg: It’s going through the end of the month. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend and next.
Carey Pena: Where can people find out more information?
Lori Goldberg: On our website, www.globalfamilyphilanthropy.org.
Carey Pena: All right. I want to read a few more quotes that I thought were beautiful about your effort. One of them says, “The poverty in Haiti is inconceivable. It scars one’s heart. The Haitian people are so beautiful and so in need. I am proud and honored to have been a part of a phenomenal team of volunteers that made a difference in their lives.” Another quote here, “Everything we have and everything we enjoy is due to the kindness of others. Every happiness there is in the world results of others’ kindness. Because of Lori and Global Family, that happiness is with me forever. Thank you for falling into my life, and giving me and my children the opportunity to make a difference.” That is from Stacey Webb who volunteered with you back in 2011. I see you tearing up over there. Why does it make you so emotional when I read these?
Lori Goldberg: Oh, it makes me feel good. Stacey is a sister to me and she is family. Most of the volunteers that travel with us, they become part of this Global Family. It’s really a beautiful thing, and just to know that she had that experience and her children have had it, just warms my heart.
Carey Pena: Well, it strikes me that your mission is not just about going to Haiti and helping people. You are also expanding the views and the hearts of all of the volunteers who have worked with you, who have done work with you over the years, and that’s pretty tremendous. For you personally, how has this changed you as a person?
Lori Goldberg: It’s my way of life now and it’s my priority. For my daughters, I want it to be their way of life, that think about others, put others first.
Carey Pena: Let me ask you Lori, because you’re a very frank-speaking woman, you tell it like it is. For your daughters, because you have two beautiful teenage daughters, and teenagers can be teenagers, it’s hard sometimes to get them to connect with an effort that is more than just, “Hey, we’re going to the mall,” and this, that and the other, social media. “Let’s post a bunch of pictures about ourselves.” Have you been able to break through that with your daughters?
Lori Goldberg: Somewhat. I mean, I will be honest, they are teenagers and they’re girls, but they’re amazing young women. They’re strong young women. They have shared Haiti with many of their friends, and it’s something that they’re very proud of and it’s important to them. They love our children, and our children are their siblings.
Carey Pena: You’ve been doing this now since, what do we say? When did you start? 2008?
Lori Goldberg: Yes.
Carey Pena: Seven years now. When I ask you this question and you think about five, ten years down the road, what is your hope for Global Family and your mission?
Lori Goldberg: Well, we are in the process of setting up college funds for our children, so they can either receive a higher education, or a trade school. But, at some point I’d love to have them come visit, just visit, because I want them to go back and be members of their community. But I see us having a place where we can spend more time in Haiti. When my daughters are in college, I’d like to live there part-time.
Carey Pena: For you, knowing that you have gone outside of your comfort zone to really do something to make this world a better place, how does that make you feel?
Lori Goldberg: It makes me feel good. It makes me feel really good. It’s really hard, but it makes me feel good.
Carey Pena: What personally inspires you to keep going every day, even in the hard times?
Lori Goldberg: All the little faces and the smiles, and the people that love us and that we love.
Carey Pena: One more time, where can people find you?
Lori Goldberg: On our website, www.globalfamilyphilanthropy.org.
Carey Pena: I encourage people to go there and check out all of the things that Lori’s doing, because this little lady right here, 5′ 4″ in her heels, is packing a punch. I just think your amazing. People like you inspire me. I appreciate you being here today. Lori Goldberg, thank you so much.
Lori Goldberg: Thank you Carey.
The post Arizona Mom Goes Global Through Philanthropy appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Michael Golden is a former TV news guy, turned campaign manager who says he is fed up with the system — and he knows the system very well. He has worked on the inside with some high profile people.
“I have seen politicians through a few different prisms, I’ve worked with them, for them and covered them. I’m not one of those people who thinks they are all buffoons,” Golden told us from his office in Chicago.
Trouble is, the system is so clogged up it is difficult for them to do even things that are common sense.
Golden gets to the point in this book with 4 or 5 “defects” that he believes need to be fixed.
Money and influence. “All of this corruption, if you will, it’s not illegal, it’s legal and actually it’s encouraged,” Golden talks about the millionaires and billionaires who, in his view, are just flat out buying elections. “400 families, I believe, in the country are responsible for 50% of the Super Pac money in this election cycle.”
Get off the hamster wheel. Golden would like to see Congressional terms extended to four years. “They don’t have the time to study (issues) or trust each other in the way they should.” Not to mention, they are always on the hunt for money, he says, referring to it as a “pride swallowing” activity they have to go through every single day.
“Congress is obligated to do things on our behalf,” Golden says, “and if 93% of us don’t have confidence, we’ve got to help them reform the rules.”
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It started with a tweet that read, “Mom needs a kidney. it would take 2-6 years to get one and she doesn’t have that long.”
Phoenix Resident and organ donor, Amy Donohue, saw the tweet and decided she wanted to get tested. After finding out she was a match, Donohue says she didn’t think twice. She made the decision to donate an organ to the mother of a woman she met on Twitter.
Crazy? Not to her. Donohue felt it was her purpose.
A movie is now being made about that decision. It’s called, “Social Media Stole My Kidney”.
Donohue, a Comedian and Social Media Manager by trade, teamed up with fellow Comedian and Filmmaker, James Pietragallo to make the movie. They turned to Indiegogo, said to be the largest global crowdfunding & fundraising and made enough money to green-light the project.
Petregallo says he was intrigued. He hadn’t ever given organ donation any thought before hearing Donohue’s story.
The two traveled cross country, 8,000 miles, talking to people who have become living organ donors. They were on the road for 21 days for this social experiment turned documentary. During that time, they also met a young woman who will die if she doesn’t receive a life-saving organ donation. The movie document’s her mother’s anguish and desperation. Petregallo says, for him, that was the most impactful moment of the trip. When it all became “very real”.
For Donohue, this experience has been life changing. “I value people more that I am close with,” she says, “the connections have to be genuine. I want to know people on the inside. I got rid of the garbage.”
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“What are you supposed to do … do the same thing your whole life until you croak? I’m not doing that.”
Grant Woods is talking about his second act.
The former Arizona Attorney General is getting in touch with his creative side. After spending years in the courtroom as a successful trial attorney, he is now spending time writing and creating music.
“I think that is
one of the downfalls of a civilization, if you stop respecting or learning from music, painting, dance, theater, or film.”
Woods started writing a diverse collection of songs and attracting well known singers. Then it turned into something more than music. Grant’s collection of music turned into “The Project”.
Woods was encouraged by some to take his mix of blues, rock, jazz, country and folk music and make an album in NYC or LA. Instead, he stayed true to his roots, reaching out to musicians in Arizona and compiling a body of work to benefit The Arizona School For The Arts.
Woods likes to tell students, “You live in a place where we still value the arts. We respect the arts. If you respect the arts that means you respect each other. We are not a narrow minded bigoted place.”
“Not just in Arizona but across the country we see the arts devalued,” Woods told us when he visited our studios in Old Town Scottsdale.
Music and the arts are two of his great passions — politics is another. Woods has been deeply involved in politics for a long time. He has a close relationship with Senator John McCain, having served as his Chief Of Staff when McCain was a Congressman.
“I’ve been a Republican my whole life and I guess for the last 20 years or so I wonder why,” he says. “We don’t attract the best and brightest anymore. It is a bloodsport. Normal people, very talented people who should be running the country have no interest because who needs it.”
Woods advocates for less government but says when government does do something, they should do it well. Citing public education, infrastructure, national defense as examples.
We asked for his reaction to comments made by Donald Trump questioning whether or not Senator McCain is a war hero. “He was totally dismissive of it,” Woods says of his phone call with McCain when the controversy broke this past summer, “But the rest of us were pretty pissed. When you start questioning John McCain’s heroism, that is offensive to me.”
During our 20 minute Podcast, Woods talked about how he put the exploration of his creative self on hold earlier in his life so that he could focus on courtroom litigation and politics.
“Politics is almost antithetical to the creative process,” he says, “negative, confrontational, and combative — that is not great space for you to be able to create.”
About that second act he says, “If you’ve had success in the first act, it is a challenge to start at the bottom.”
On the other hand, if you get yourself out of the box, who knows what you can create. Grant Woods is a perfect example.
Artists featured on The Project include Michael Nitro, Lawrence Zubia, Alice Tatum, Nils Lofgren and Francine Reed, Walt Richardson, Blaine Long, Mindy Harris, Hans Olson, Ray Herndon, Al Ortiz.
For more go to Theprojectaz.com or search Grant Woods The Project on iTunes.
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Jenni Hogan was on the rise as a local TV newscaster, one of the most followed newscasters in the country on social media. Then she realized she needed to make a major move jump ship from the TV world into the tech world. She had an idea about how to to build an app to make social media easier to see and interact with on TV. She teamed up with tech experts to make it happen. Today, Jenni is seeing success she couldn’t have imagined. Jenni talks to Carey about how she made it happen and what advice she has for others looking to turn their passion into real life success.
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Felicia Romero is a modern day success story. Encouraged by her mother and grandmother to make her dreams come true, Felicia decided against law school and focused on her love of fitness. She overcame great odds to climb to the top of the fitness world becoming a fitness cover model, celebrity trainer and entrepreneur — recently opening her own gym. Felicia talks to Carey about the secrets to her success, her struggle with an eating disorder, and finally finding her zen. She also shares some of her best tips for losing weight and gaining confidence.
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“Music does everything for my life. It feeds me, it heals me, it gives me the opportunity to connect with people. It’s a language.”
Walt Richardson is an Arizona music legend and a man full of life lessons and poetic words. He was inducted into Arizona’s Music Hall of Fame at the Tempe Center for the Arts. What he calls one of the great joys of his life.
Climbing to the top of the music industry isn’t easy, but Richardson has managed to do this with grace and a positive spirit.
He likens his quest for a peaceful life to music. “When a note doesn’t fit, I call it a bad vibration.” It is good advice for all of us to limit the “bad vibrations” in our lives.
The other thing Walt Richardson limits is being competitive with others. Rather, he looks at himself as competition. Constantly challenging himself to evolve. The next song being better than the last song and the next show being better than the last show.
One of eight children, Richardson’s father was a Tuskegee Airman who left a legacy of rising to the occasion no matter what the obstacle.
When we asked for his thoughts about the Black Lives Matter movement, Richardson told us he has an “interesting take on the planet as a whole.”
He believes as long as we are “putting labels on ourselves” we are always going to have some sort of issues.
“I know there are some hateful things and damaging things going on out there.” He goes on to say, “we can’t solve this problem with one person. It’s all of us.”
The Sr. Richardson used to say, “when you are in a tough situation, don’t split, don’t quit, just sit.”
Walt Richardson’s parents brought him up to be ambitious, soulful, and always follow his dreams.
“There’s a lot of people walking this planet with a story in their head,” Richardson says.
His story was all about music and his family encouraged him to write the story the way he wanted.
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“We have taken out a 3 million dollar debt on our children”. Nick Dranias, President of Compact for America, says we can’t afford to “kick the can down the road” any longer.
Currently Dranias is trying to rally State support coast-to-coast for his efforts to cap how much Congress has to spend. Yep, a cap.
He breaks it down like this: Imagine you have a credit card with unlimited spending power. Next I’m going to tell you ice cream has no calories. Not really, but it seems as ludicrous as handing a politician unlimited, and unchecked spending power.
Dranias tells us his goal is a balanced budget. He says his proposed Compact for America does not dictate what how or what to cut — just how much Congress ultimately has to work with.
When considering healthcare, education programs, even roads and infrastructure, verses simply reigning in the ability of Congress to spend our money, Dranias says, “I’ll pick the latter.” Cut the overspending before you cut necessities. This is basic home economics.
Compact for America is trying to get this done through balanced budget amendments. Basically, States would agree to certain terms, like limits on lines of credit to start. He points out; giving “debt addicts” unbridled access to our wallet is crazy. The plan is to encourage States to take charge of fixing Washington’s broken machine. Humbling, but that’s one tough repair.
Opponents say an amendment such as this could open “Pandora’s Box” and lead to unintended consequences.
It is one of the arguments Nick Dranias will have to tackle as he takes his case to the masses.
He lives and breathes this stuff saying his inspiration is his children, ages nine and eleven. Like so many hardworking Americans, when going to bed at night, Dranias says he worries about their future. “I do what I do for them,” he tells us, “because we have an infrastructure problem in this country. It’s not sustainable, and the States need to lead.”
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“I’m inspired by people taking action towards their dreams; my job is to help them.” Award Winning author and business Coach Pam Slim says she’s building stronger communities, one contact at a time.
Wow, can you imagine? A life where you don’t wake up and go to some job that you hate, day after day. A life filled with watercolor painting and classical music. Where your robe takes the place of a computer and the ocean is your view.
In reality she’s not handing you the golden ticket; but what she does is help people with the work they love.
Her website, Escape from Cubicle Nation, helps build connections between business people and business owners. Connection is a basic human need, Slim says. And the foundation of success in business is good quality relationships.
But, wait a minute. That sounds so easy. Exactly how would that play out with so many different types of people? How would an introverted artist build quality relationships? “Not everyone’s a people person,” after all. Slim encourages businesses and business people to build on their strengths. Like cultivating a plant but instead it’s a career; authentically and with what matters.
Also important is to develop a robust, diverse community, and she says, make sure people know your passion. Whether you’re a big business or small entrepreneur, your success is determined by the contacts you make. People need to understand what you are doing and why.
So, paintbrush in hand, should you quit your day job? Slow down Picasso! A pragmatist at heart, Slim warns against rash decisions. She advises people to have a “side hustle” building on what you love.
Make sure you have a valuable idea and some business and financial skills. Oh and a little thing called follow through goes a long way, says Slim, who admits to being a networking addict.
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Angela Hughey, co-founder and President of One Community and co-Chair of Competitive Arizona says we shouldn’t see “opposition” when it comes to LGBT equality issues, we should see “opportunity”. Not just in Arizona, but all across the country.
Hughey’s group, One Community, is focused fighting for non-discrimination policies that they say will make Arizona equal and competitive for everyone. “This will draw more millennials to Arizona, making the economy more sustainable,” Hughey says.
She also believes the state needs “to address the branding problem Arizona has, resulting from the passing of discriminatory bills.”
Hughey knows it is going to be an uphill battle in a state that still leans conservative.
Personal beliefs aside, she explains, “this is about growing Arizona through the retention of top talent”. The LGBT community, she says, has 884 million dollars of buying power nationwide, and the recent landmark decision that gave same sex couples marriage equality also means “62 to 64 billion dollars of revenue to add to Arizona’s bottom line”.
On any side, “soundbites can keep us from engaging.” They also keep us from growing, Hughey points out. Her focus is “fixing the disconnect” between businesses and organizations who want to do business with the LGBT community.
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Carey talks with Al Lorenzi, President of ABL Wealth Management about #BlackMonday and what happens NOW? People were panic stricken when the market crashed more than 1,000 points. What caused a slide so massive and how do every day Americans rebound and have faith in the market. Or should we? Lorenzi shares his #1 piece of investment advice.
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Former-Congressman Ben Quayle is watching the political drama of Donald Trump unfold from the sidelines, “taking a break” from his congressional seat to focus on family.
Quayle, son of former Republican Vice President Quayle, jokingly refers to Trump as a good entertainer who “gets ratings” and has “moments.”
But looking past the smoke and mirrors that cloud American politics today, Quayle warns Conservatives about Trump’s past “liberal positions” on issues like abortion, taxation and healthcare. Not to mention the heated topic of immigration that very well may “galvanize the Republican base of support.” He adds, “If Republicans were smart; they’d take that issue away from Trump.”
Public discontent with cronyism and the political class in general, says Quayle, has fueled Trump’s success. The irony, regardless of Trump’s massive wealth and ego, he is very “relatable.”
Quayle touches skeptically on Republican candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich, while citing Rubio “our best order” because of his “good vision for the Country.”
In this 20 minutes episode, we also cover scare warnings about Government shut-downs, and Quayle’s view on the escalating dangers of ISIS.
There is a lot for us to worry about, but there is also a lot for us to be inspired by. When asked what inspires him, Quail answers “family.” He recalls the reason he got into politics, “concern about where the country is going” and “how to help.” His stated vision, “to change and shift the way Washington is working.
The post The Season of Trump With Former Congressman Ben Quayle appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
You could be forced to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life.” Adam Levin doesn’t mince words when it comes to warning people about protecting their privacy. He is the author of new book Swiped, and founder of Credit.com and Identity Theft 911. The recent Ashley Madison hack saw 36 million accounts compromised with massive ramifications ranging from divorce to suicide. Not to mention, hundreds of “high profile” employees from more than 80 well-known institutions who were either directly or indirectly implicated for using the controversial cheating website that advertises “privacy” for its members. In addition to the personal and professional conflicts this breech has caused, Levin believes Ashley Madison highlights a much bigger problem. “Breeches,” such as this one, have become a “third certainty in life” for most Americans, he says. This is especially true for teenagers and college students who are known for oversharing and living in revolving door environments where they are vulnerable to privacy hacks. Levin talks to Carey Pena about a few simple safeguards to “compartmentalize your life so as not to jeopardize every aspect.” From government surveillance to social media and search engine tracking, Levin shows us, there are many ways Americans are vulnerable and need to watch out. We always like to end the show by asking guests what personally inspires them. As a consumer advocate with more than thirty years experience in personal finance, privacy, and government service, Levin says he is inspired by civil rights leaders like John and Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. He reminds us, “It’s all about how you give back, what you do for people, and how you stand up for what you believe in. The post Is Privacy Dead? With Adam Levin, Founder of identity theft 911, Author of “Swiped” appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.
Carey Pena has been a television news reporter and anchor based in Phoenix for over a decade. She is the Founder and CEO of the Media Firm, Inspired Media 360, focused on digital journalism including this Podcast, Carey Pena Reports. Each week Carey and her producer, Radio Host Shannon Hernandez interview newsmakers, politicians, public figures, experts in the world of fitness, finance, health, social media, and business. Or maybe just ordinary people doing extraordinary things. There is nothing better than hearing from an entrepreneur who is making life happen, on their own terms. Quality of life matters.
This podcast is all about informing, inspiring, and engaging — having fun along the way.
A lot can happen in a 20 minute podcast!
The post Health, Wealth, Politics, Inspiration. Lets Go. What This Crazy Show Is All About. Hosted By Carey Pena Produced By Shannon Hernandez appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.