FINE is a 4-Letter Word

If the self-help industry was actually effective, the world would be full of people in perfect health with boundless wealth, always succeeding at everything they set out to do. They'd have perfect relationships, be surrounded by nothing but love and harmony, and know the definition of paradise!The first time things seem a little off, you'd just buy one book, read it, and voila! You'd never need another book because the stars would align like some freaking celestial rapture put at your service personally. Alas, that's not the case.Eddie Sand started reading one of those books. Rather than solve his problem instantly, it put him in such a tailspin that he ended up spending five months going through hell. Even his wife couldn't say much that would help him along or make him want to get out of bed.Raised by his grandparents, lack showed him how different people had different things in their lives, which made him want to become better. And contributed to what's become one of his biggest values - being genuine.After several failed attempts to join the Army, he enlisted in the Marines because he noticed a Marine recruiter at his high school who seemed to have a bunch of girls crushing on him. What guy doesn't want that? I *may* have had a thing for a few Marines myself

Some people are just born with it. Whether it's the intelligence you need to thrive, personality traits that make you likable – or your dad owning the company you grow up to become “Chief Servant Leader” of – we all have something going for us.Throughout the 192 (and counting) episodes of Fine Is a 4-Letter Word, I've covered stories of pain, struggle, perseverance, and salvation. One of my guests even went to prison for a murder she did not commit!Kevin Schnieders is one of those guys who, when you first meet him, strikes you as the kind who was just born with it. But as we peel back the layers, you're going to get to know a man who shows there's always room to grow and boundless opportunities to make an impact when you see them.Kevin's dad was a school administrator who took a bold leap in founding EDSI, a workforce development, customized training, and consulting company focused on providing innovative solutions to close workforce skills gaps around the country. His mom was his dad's biggest cheerleader, not a big departure since she had actually been a cheerleader for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the middle child, partially in awe of his brother who was brilliant in his studies. Kevin was less academic, but he found a niche as an athlete and pursued a dream of becoming a sportscaster. Rather than take to the mic, Kevin went into teaching and then came to work at EDSI – first as a training consultant, then as Director of HR and Operations, then as COO, before becoming CEO. Then he bought the company. Along the way he married and has two wonderful daughters who make him proud every day.You'd think – wow, everything's fine for Kevin. We could say, “He's doing great and he lived happily after ever. The end!” But Fine Is a 4-Letter Word, as Kevin discovered when he was asked at a seminar how intelligent he was on a scale of 1 to 10, and he answered “6”. Bang! At that point, he realized he'd been carrying weight around for not being “as smart” as his brother. I'll let Kevin explain. Then he attended another seminar and found out that for as compassionate as he always is toward others, he'd been falling short in practicing self-compassion.In a moment, when you meet Kevin, you'll discover what came next. How does all this impact him as a father? How does he pass his values to his daughters? As the owner of a company with 856 employees, what's his secret for creating a sense of personal connection with every single person who works for him – all 856 of them? Whether you have zero, ten, or 856 employees, or you are the employee, get out a note card – yes, an actual note card – and prepare to write.Kevin's hype song is "Be Who You Are" by Michael Franti & Spearhead.Resources:Kevin Schnieders' website: https://www.edsi.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edsi/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EDSITalent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edsi_careers/ X: https://x.com/EDSI_Solutions YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EDSIvideos Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of

Time and again, as you go through nearly 200 episodes of Fine Is a 4-Letter Word, you'll find stories from guests who found themselves disconnected from what's supposed to be a connected world.Your circle of close friends you see all the time - your "besties"? Go back two years and tell me how many of them are the same people.Your avid following on social media who hang on your every post? Delete your account and I bet maybe two of them even try to reach out somewhere else.Sometimes being disconnected is a lonely place to be. Other times, it gives you the advantage of not being indoctrinated into other people's beliefs.It could also mean your tribe is quietly forming behind you as you go through this journey called life - as Margaret Rogers discovered when her own journey became a giant a-ha moment.The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, her parents' cultural way of showing love was to make sure she had the security that came with providing for her basic needs. She wanted for little materially, but the rest was up to her. Her parents told her two things: "We want you to be happy, healthy, and have a steady job" and "Money's easy to spend and very difficult to make".In school, she was the only Asian girl in class. There weren't the thriving, nuclear Asian communities that exist in almost every city today. In college, taking an engineering class filled almost entirely with white men, her professor interrupted his lecture and singled out the woman, asking her, "do you understand?" for no particular reason at all.Graduating with degrees in both electrical engineering and computer science, Margaret easily got a job during the dot-com boom. But then the bubble burst. She decided she really wanted to do "consulting" with only a vague notion of what that is. So she said "if you're laying people off, pick me" and started her own firm. This was all turning out just fine. Really. But Fine is a 4-Letter Word, as Margaret found out after another company acquired hers and she became an executive there. When it hit her that the acquirer had bought the company's technical skill but abandoned the culture she had built, she felt like she'd let down the team she'd nurtured and assured she'd take good care of.So, who had Margaret's back now?You'll discover that in a moment. You'll hear her story about the power of mentorship that began when she hired her first employee and recognized how that changed her own life forever. You'll also see how everybody from her Taiwanese grandmother to so many she's met along the way have come together behind her like a posse. Like she's Wonder Woman and they're her Avengers.Listen all the way through as it will hit you right at the end.Margaret's hype song is "Let's Get It Started" by The Black Eyed Peas.Resources:Margaret Rogers' website: https://parivedasolutions.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretpengrogers/Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you've got annual all-hands meeting

Being an outsider can be challenging – but it can also be your absolute superpower!We all come into the world as a blank slate with the opportunity to form and grow organically. Taking in the world as you find it before being tethered to a rigid or strongly defined set of predetermined beliefs set for you by others.John Morris started out that way too, but unlike most people, he never took on the opinions of others. He began questioning fear-based systems, trusting inner knowing, and seeing the world through a wildly different lens than most. This approach has given him a unique ability to use a few simple tools to reinvent himself every time he finds the world not to his liking and decides he can have better and do better.Growing up, while his mom chased the current popular thing, his dad didn't really instill a structured set of beliefs – his motto was “as you see it, as you get it”. Not only that, but he was isolated as a child, which had the silver lining of sparing him from having his beliefs molded by others in a hundred silent ways. When he was a teenager, there was a big part of him that knew he was different, knew he didn't process the world in the way that other people did.John's grandmother instilled in him his strong religious beliefs, which contrary to some of the stories you've heard from others on our show, weren't constricting to him at all. After 15 years as a youth minister and 20 years as an evangelist, he left the church because of what he saw as scaremongering and politics.But John came to understand that Fine is a 4-Letter Word because of how the word “fine” was an acronym commonly used in his youth ministry: “feeling inadequate, needing encouragement” – and how this version of “fine” can be brought about by pressure to conform and not speak of anything others don't want to hear. I love this!You're about to meet a man currently in a profound state of metamorphosis. In addition to being a preacher, he has also built up an international reputation as an artist – something that he may be limited doing in the future due to a recent onset of dyspraxia. So with the additional ailments of amaurosis (which affects vision) and dyslexia (which affects the ability to read), what is John doing? He's on his way to becoming an acclaimed author and is working with some of the biggest publishing houses and powerhouse editors to make it happen. In just the past couple years, he's written 25 complete novels, of which there are only two original manuscripts. He has one and His Majesty the King has the other.All of this is possible due to a few simple understandings and ways of being, which we'll circle back to after we chat with John.John's hype song is "Art From The Heart" by John Morris.Resources:John Morris' website: https://thejohnmorris.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnmorrisartfromtheheart/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmorrisartfromtheheart/During the episode, we discussed Wayne Dyer's “Everyday Wisdom” recording – watch it on YouTube or download the audio.Claim your 10% off your first 3 mental health sessions with John Morris - limited to the first 10 persons who mention his appearance on our show, “Fine is a 4-Letter Word”, by...

Have you been moving through life feeling like there's something else out there?You can't put your finger on it. Even though nothing outwardly seems off, there's more to the story than you've been told or that you can see. Something's not adding up, but how do you make 2+2=4?For Jill Valdez, this crept up on her in a hundred small ways. Although she went through some experiences that were far less traumatic for her than they are for others – there was always something else behind door #1.Born to an 18-year-old mother who put her up for adoption, Jill was raised in a conservative Christian home – but it didn't feel constricting to her. Her values included faith and knowing that you reap what you sow – all well and good, but she'd come back to question those later.When she was 15, she felt like she lost both her adoptive parents at once when her mother died and her father emotionally abandoned the family as he became a workaholic to deal with grief that would affect him for many years. Jill went through a rebellious-teenager streak, but recognized that wasn't the life she wanted. Both she and her husband were called to traditional pastoral work, which she enjoyed until she decided to change how she leads people. Jill went through a lot, but somehow it always worked out. Everything seemed fine. But Fine, as you know, is a 4-Letter Word.It definitely was NOT fine when shortly after her sister died, a man at church asked, “where's your smile?” For f*cks sake, her sister had just died! It also wasn't fine when her beloved nephew Kirky died just 11 days after being diagnosed with acute leukemia. Nor was it fine that Jill wasn't sure she knew where she came from, other than that she was adopted.So, she did her homework, found her maternal grandmother, and gave her a call. It took two hours to get through… but her grandmother, with whom she had never communicated before, instantly knew who was calling. As Jill got to know her biological mother, she discovered that being put up for adoption was a blessing. They have a great relationship now – and good thing they didn't know each other when Jill was growing up!In a moment, when you meet Jill, you'll discover what could be a new point of view about why things happen. That in order to be authentic, it's okay to question your values and the world as you see it, even if you come to agree that it's… fine. Or more than fine, for that matter. And as you hear about what Jill is doing now with her consulting work, helping her clients get out of the weeds of chaos, it may hit you like a boomerang right at the end how everything she's gone through has led to this moment. Jill's hype song is "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey.Resources:Jill Valdez' website: https://www.linkconsulting.info/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillvaldezlink/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j_valdezlink/Invitation From Lori:This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you've got annual all-hands...

What if… one of your core values that should be empowering turned out to be something that held you back?It's meant to build confidence to try things. But it becomes a sort of low-key vicious cycle that subconsciously holds you back and curbs your ability to change.That silent boomerang would be ironic for a professional change agent, but that same boomerang has been both catalyst and inhibitor of Suzanne Hopson's story.Growing up, Suzanne was taught, to quote her exact words as she said them in the conversation you're about to hear, to “never think that there wasn't something I couldn't do”. I listened to the recording three times to make sure I heard her right. Did she mean it just like that? Was it a Freudian slip? Well, she goes on to say that would have been a limiting belief IF she had it, but that life taught her – sometimes rudely – that she couldn't do what she set out to do. It was a double-edged sword. So was the other core value, that you can't do anything by yourself. While we can achieve more as a collective than the sum of our individual efforts, it can also mean that you can't do anything on your own. I'll let you sit with that one and hear from Suzanne on that.So where did all of this leave Suzanne?After three decades working in the multifamily industry, she came to an inflection point where she began to ask whether she should remain in her executive role or strike out on her own as an entrepreneur. Having to go through the experience of laying off employees, due to no fault of their own or her own, was a catalyst. As you're about to discover when you tune in for my chat with Suzanne, she did quit her executive job and start Here2Elevate™, which works with companies and their leadership to see the world as they want it to be and learn how to make it that way. Two factors played a big role. One is the power of mentorship, both positive and negative. The other is coming to terms with the visceral power of change management – the “grit” of it.Whatever you've come to believe about change management and change in general, you may find yourself seeing a new point of view.Suzanne's hype song is “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten.Resources:Suzanne Hopson's website: https://here2elevate.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannehopson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/here2elevate Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/here2elevate/X: https://x.com/suzanne_hopson Take Suzanne Hopson's Business Performance Assessment Quiz to discover how your team measures up in key areas like profitability and strategic thinking. Start now: https://elevated-business-performance.scoreapp.com Invitation from Lori:This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining...

So, you think you have it all.A great career, a nice apartment, an 800 credit score. You're officially a grown-up with the adult job. The world looks at you and says, "wow, everything's going your way". It seems like everything's fine. What else could you ask for?But it's not fine. You look around and know something's missing. Maybe you mutter some four-letter words - "fine" is a 4-letter word, after all.Something's telling you there's a lot more out there. Maybe your grown-up life is stopping you from actually growing into the person you were always meant to be.For Heather Wyatt, it was a realization that perhaps she was never meant to fill the role written for her by society. Though she didn't realize it immediately, her role was written during her childhood as the daughter of a single mother who moved around a lot for financial reasons. Like many kids who move around a lot, Heather admired friends who stayed in one place, living in houses with two parents where everything was "normal" and "fine".When she tried out the "normal grown-up" thing for herself, she realized the idea of being an adult in the same town she grew up in, sending her kids to the same school she went to, having her previous classmates be her kids' teachers, was the makings of a living nightmare. Actually, Heather got bored at the prospect of staying in the same place for too long.Along the way, she discovered that bartending, supposedly not an "adult" job, not only paid a lot more, but helped her develop communication and selling skills far beyond anything she could find working in an office. Then COVID came along and she went into health coaching. Quickly, she discovered that health coaching was a dead end, at least for her, but she didn't want to be a business coach either. So, blending her bartending skills and her knowledge of health coaching led her to where she is today, organizing wellness parties and retreats under the Goddess Getawaves brand.In a moment, when you meet Heather, you'll learn from her the power of adaptability, perspective in understanding different realities, and the courage required to embrace change. It's a fascinating journey of self-discovery that could be the ride you need to hitch if you're looking around muttering four-letter words to yourself about how "fine" your current reality is.Heather's hype song is "Castle" by Halsey. Resources:Heather Wyatt's website: https://goddessgetawaves.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-wyatt%F0%9F%A7%9C%E2%80%8D%E2%99%80%EF%B8%8F-64285124b/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069429799210Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_heatherwyatt/Also, check out our episode with Gabe Lullo, called “Do Hard Things”.Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection...

Have you ever found yourself spending a crazy amount of time and energy trying to figure out why things happen in life? Wondering what you did to attract it? Desperately seeking answers right now, and coming up frustrated when you can't make sense of it.But what if the whole plan is like a puzzle that doesn't form a picture until you've been given most of the pieces and taken the time to make them fit? You'll look back one day and see how it all comes together.You could say Flip Brown has gone through life being, in some ways, both a product of his times and a traveler through a different time than everybody else was living in.Growing up, he had a father who was ahead of his time in terms of fighting racism and homophobia, but a man of his time in emotional intelligence. His mother was a teacher who had to give it up when she became pregnant with Flip. She was doting and kind and taught Flip how to read early so he was ahead of his classmates. And when Flip was eight years old, she joined a cult religion.Consistent with his times, Flip did hallucinogens, which affected his state of mind for decades to come. In contrast with his times, he changed careers many times in an era where you picked one thing and stuck with it until retirement. He's worked as a psychologist, nonprofit executive, international product manager, mobile crisis team clinician, retail salesperson, and wilderness workshop leader. He's also been a hardwood furniture craftsman, windsurfing instructor, gigging musician, cross-country ski instructor, a cappella singer, and gardener. Wow!Intuition served him along the way, when he abruptly quit a job with no plan, only to be immediately offered a much better one right out of the blue.A lot of this might not have been "fine" by society, but Flip thought it was fine, partially because he didn't realize how experiencing sexual abuse, as well as his father's workaholism, patterned him. But as we all know, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In a moment, when you meet Flip, you'll be mindblown by one of the inflection points that helped Flip see it all come together – therapy using the plant-based medicine psilocybin. You'll be washed away by his experience with alcohol and his unique personal journey away from it, triggered in part by losing his brother-in-law on the Pan Am Lockerbie flight. He relates how his experience on the mobile crisis team at a community mental health center dealing with acutely psychotic and suicidal people prepared him for his current work in executive coaching, team facilitation, and interactive skillbuilding.Flip's hype song is "Come Together" by The Beatles.Resources:Flip Brown's website: https://businesscultureconsultants.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipbrown/Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you've got annual all-hands and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to strengthen culture, create connection, and foster...

We've been conditioned to believe that rest is optional—like guacamole on your burrito. You can have it, but you'll have to pay extra.Let's zoom out for a second and look at where this belief came from.The hustle mindset didn't just show up one day because Gary Vee started yelling about it. It's deeply rooted in industrial-age values—when your productivity on the factory line was literally tied to your worth and your wages. The more you produced, the more valuable you were. Full stop.Then came the Protestant work ethic, remember the Puritans from history class? They believed hard work was not just good, but godly. Resting? That was for the weak or the wicked. You're either grinding or backsliding. There was no in-between. If you've been listening to my show for more than 2 episodes, you know that when they're answering that “what were the values and beliefs you were raised with” question, most of my guests say hard work. We've all been ingrained with this belief and accepted it without question. Fast forward to the 1980s and '90s - Wall Street, power suits, "I'll sleep when I'm dead" culture. Burnout was a badge of honor. In fact, Bon Jovi released a song in 1992 called “I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.”Actually, as I was outlining this episode, I looked up when that phrase originated and found Benjamin Franklin supposedly said, “There will be plenty of time to sleep when you're dead.” Clearly it's been around for a while.We celebrate busy. We glorify “the grind.” We worship the to-do list like it's some kind of sacred scroll.And now the whole country humblebrags about how little they sleep or how slammed they are, as if being overworked makes you more important. (It doesn't. It just makes you more tired and cranky.)So when someone does stop and rest, or take a day off without needing a “valid” excuse, it feels rebellious. Almost irresponsible. But that reaction? That guilt? It's not truth - it's just programming. And it's overdue for a rewrite.Tune in now and discover for yourself:✅ My personal story of zooming to burnout at 200 miles an hour, when I went beyond being “fucking cranky” to “totally wiped out”✅ How to redefine and reframe “rest” and make it not only part of, but a catalyst, for your ability to achieve more✅ Practical tools that you can use to create a “permission slip practice” that breaks the hustle-and-grind circle for you✅ And much, much more!Resources:My Website: https://ZenRabbit.com/ LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/ Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/ Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/Visit the “FINE is a 4-Letter Word” store at https://zenrabbit.printful.me Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you've got annual all-hands and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.But let's be real....

In his 2023 report "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation", the US Surgeon General at the time, Dr. Vivek Murthy, declared loneliness and social isolation a public health epidemic.Aside from feelings of ennui and lacking support structure, loneliness can trigger or increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and even premature death!So, while he doesn't quite come out and say it, and he might not have been thinking exactly along those terms when I spoke with him, Steve Fales might have had a brush with death.Steve grew up in a single-parent home. Although he had a brother, his brother was 11 years older and serving in Vietnam while Steve and his mom were living in what he repeatedly describes as “a dead end street in a quiet town with lots of kids and dogs around and playing all the time and other stuff kids do”.He started out working on the floor in a grocery store before he applied for a job in their advertising department – and got it. His experience eventually drove him to start his own advertising agency, where he carved out a niche in the air conditioning industry. Things were going fine… until his growing firm was selected as a provider of choice for a major manufacturing firm.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word… and what some might call Steve's ship coming in gave him panic attacks. For months he started his days by wretching and dry-heaving into the toilet. Outwardly, he was the envy of his peers and the idol of his friends… but he carried this dark secret. Does this sound familiar, by the way?Join Steve and me on a deep dive into the impacts of loneliness on our society. There's a reason it's an epidemic. With surveys showing one in 4 people reporting they eat alone every day, and everybody wandering down the sidewalk with their eyes on their phone… we're surrounded by people yet frighteningly disconnected.Not to reveal the takeaways before you even hear the episode, but the solution to your loneliness and disconnection comes not from being around other people, as much as it comes from within you. Steve lays it all out for you. Steve's hype song is "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by The Moody Blues.Resources:Steve Fales' website: https://www.stevefales.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenfales/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.fales.18 Claim your copy of Steve Fales' book, “Loving Your Neighbor: A Practical Guide” (plus the group discussion and journal prompts), at https://www.stevefales.com/books/loving-your-neighbor/Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you've got annual all-hands and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to strengthen culture, create connection,...

Perfectionism is something that gets beat into a lot of us. Sometimes literally, as you'll find out from my guest.Imposter syndrome goes hand-in-hand with perfectionism. You see, when you're programmed to hold yourself to extremely high standards, nothing you do seems like it's good enough. You're not enough. And what if someone finds out?Now imagine you got ripped off by not one – but two – business partners, and lost all your savings more than once. On top of that, you never graduated college, yet held down job after job that required a college degree, in part because others who believed in you more than you believed in yourself went to bat for you.What a wild ride – and that's Gary Frey's story.He's been a perfectionist since he was a little boy, the older of two children. Education was important in his family. His dad almost got his Ph.D. but didn't finish his dissertation, and his mom was a nurse. As a grade-schooler, he spent a lot of time with his strict, stern German grandmother, who would feed him German food he hated and spank him if he didn't eat it. When Gary was eight, his grandmother died of a stroke. For two years, he thought he somehow killed her, until he finally asked his parents.In school, he was the smart kid who couldn't play any sport involving moving balls or athletic coordination, but he eventually found his niche in swimming. He went to college on a prestigious scholarship, finding himself in a fraternity known for academic and athletic excellence, but feeling “less than” the rich kids in his house. Then he didn't finish college – becoming the first in his family NOT to graduate college. After that, it was off to his career…As you'll discover when you hear from Gary, he got ripped off by two business partners. He repeatedly lost everything he had, got used by an employer who needed him to hook a major deal then fired him the day it closed, and had to move to different states to start over.Perfectionist Gary found himself getting recruited out of the blue by companies who heard about him and wanted his expertise for roles that required college degrees and viewed him as a success. What was he going to do, tell them he had two corrupt business partners and lost millions of dollars? He said it was fine… and Fine is a 4-Letter Word.You're about to discover how Gary emerged from the trap of perfectionism, learned to believe in himself, and the tools he used to achieve it. Gary's hype song is “Warrior” by Matthew Ward.Resources:Gary Frey's website: https://garydfrey.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garydfreyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/garydfrey Claim your copy of Gary's book, “Silence the Imposter: 7 Weapons to Silence Imposter Syndrome” at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJLLLV61 Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because...

Do you sometimes feel like you're mailing it in?Sure, you're achieving your goals, hitting your numbers, and getting boxes checked on your to-do list. On paper, you're a success.But it still feels empty, like something's missing and you're not really succeeding.How do you know for sure? Who's there to help you figure it out? And what example are you setting for those who see you as a role model, even if you don't know they look up to you?These are questions Suresh Bhagchandani found himself grappling with one day while going over his sales numbers with his boss.Suresh was born in raised in India, with three older sisters and his mother. His father died when he was young and his family had limited financial resources but an abundance of strong values. Among the values and beliefs he gained was that if you're a good human and do the right things, good things will come along.When he was 21, he and his mother moved to the United States where he enrolled in community college and then UNC Chapel Hill. Being an immigrant and landing in a small town in North Carolina, he searched for how to fit in in this unfamiliar territory. For one thing, he was stunned by how people here brew and drink coffee! Suresh began to find his purpose, and his friends, when he got involved in organizations and activities that placed him in social situations.This gave him a fine appreciation of the power of networking, which catalyzed his life that day when his bosses told him he was doing a “fine” job – but Fine is a 4-Letter Word.This is a conversation about what it means to adapt, push past limitations, and create opportunities. And I love that we get into not only the importance, but the power, of properly identifying your friends, acquaintances, and the various roles different people play in your life. Like, do you have a “board of directors” who guide you in your decisions? And if you've decided that 100% is just mailing it in, how do you get to 120%? What will your kids think?Hang on because first…Suresh's hype song is "Started From The Bottom" by Drake.Resources:Suresh Bhagchandani's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sureshlb Also, be sure to listen to our recent episode, Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It, for an important lesson in the practice of gratitude.Invitation from Lori:This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you've got annual all-hands and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to strengthen culture, create connection, and foster community.That's where I come in. Forward thinking companies are hiring me to produce internal/private podcasts. To bring leadership and employees together through authentic stories, real conversations, and meaningful connections. Think of it as your old-school printed company newsletter - reinvented for the modern workforce. I KNOW, what a cool idea, right?!...

Battered Woman Syndrome is a commonly misunderstood condition that results from domestic or intimate partner violence.Maybe you've known someone in such a situation. Or you've at least heard stories about it. And you've probably thought, Why do you stay there and take it? Why don't you leave? There are support networks and shelters who can take you in, why not just go?And wondered, What drives you to try to “fix” the situation and have understanding for your abuser? Why do you act like you owe them a f**king thing?Judy Henderson, like many battered women, found herself in a situation that most of us couldn't possibly imagine. I should pause quickly and put in a trigger warning, because this story actually gets worse.See, Judy was the oldest child of eight in a Pentecostal family, raised by a father who abused her and a mother who kept trying to hold it together. The rule of the day was, don't air your dirty laundry in public, conform to public norms, and put a positive face on it.A positive face? Judy ended up in not one, but two, abusive relationships because that's what she'd been conditioned to. The final straw in her 12-year marriage was when her husband threw her through a glass door window while her young daughter watched before running down the street screaming. Police were called but told her there was nothing they could do. Her next relationship was with a con man who was fond of reading books about manipulation. He told her what she wanted to hear. One day, he announced he was moving in because she needed him to “care” for her and her children. That they could be a family. And as someone who only craved to be loved, this was.. well… a dream come true.The nightmare got worse when he ended up murdering someone in a robbery gone too far and Judy found herself as a co-defendant. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole for 50 years, for this murder she did not commit. He walked away a free man. And yeah, there's more…Yet… through her time in prison, Judy finally found not only her freedom from a horrible life, but also an ability to forgive and the love she always wanted.It's an unbelievably incredible story, and Judy is telling it here on Fine is a 4-Letter Word in a way she's never shared before. In a moment, when you meet her, you'll come away with a revised view on domestic violence, the criminal justice system, and how someone can find hope in tragedy.Judy's hype song is "It's My Turn" by Diana Ross.Resources:Judy Henderson's website: https://judyannhenderson.com/ Pre-order your copy of Judy's book, “When The Light Finds Us” - https://www.amazon.com/When-Light-Finds-Us-Transformed-ebook/dp/B0CR93DD34 Invitation from Lori: This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit.Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture because you've got annual all-hands meetings and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to strengthen culture, create connection, and foster community.That's...

Does it sometimes feel like no good deed goes unpunished?What if I told you that no scandal, setback, or stumbling block goes unrewarded, if you're willing to take the time to solve the puzzle?As a puzzle-solver programmed to challenge the status quo, ask questions, and lean into her natural curiosity, Kristy Busija (BYOO-SEE-YA) learned both of these lessons when she got fired for doing the right thing.Growing up, Kristy's parents instilled classic values – have a good work ethic, act with integrity, abide by the Golden Rule, and catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.These same values created conflict in her work when she conducted an employee assessment where participants were told their responses would be kept confidential, but her bosses demanded she give them the data anyway. They fired her for – get this – not living the “values” of the company!If that's supposed to be fine, there's a reason why Fine is a 4-Letter Word!In a moment, when you meet Kristy, you'll discover how this set off a journey of learning and self-actualization where she found out, as she says, it's hell in the hallway. All these doors – what rooms do they lead to? What did others see in Kristy through the peepholes in those doors that she couldn't see in herself?How does she solve this puzzle? What's the next conversation?Now hold that thought for just a second as I share a special invitation with you.Kristy's hype song is "Do It Again" by Steven Curtis Chapman.Resources:Kristy Busija's website: https://nextconversationconsulting.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristybusija/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextconversationconsulting Claim your copy of “The 2nd Wind”, the anthology that contains Kristy's chapter called “It's Hell In The Hallway”, by visiting https://buy.stripe.com/3cs6rtcga1kIaGcdR7. Invitation from Lori:This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because there are… Annual all-hands meetings where once a year you hear a well-rehearsed speech, employees clap politely, and everyone leaves with the same unanswered questions they came in with."Open door policies" that no one ever uses because people are uncomfortable walking in to talk with someone they don't feel like they know very well. "Fun" team-building events like escape rooms, trust falls, and awkward, out of fashion happy hours Generic "we appreciate everything you do" emails with zero personalization or sincerity.Company values posted on a wall with no substance behind them. But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to...Strengthen culture by sharing authentic stories from leadership and employees.Create connection so that remote and in-office teams know and understand each...

Situations involving stalking can be a gray area.Does the person mean well but are just awkward in their approach? Are you reading too much into it? Let's not jump to conclusions and end up smearing an innocent person. We should give the benefit of a doubt until we have our facts straight.All of these are very natural impulses, rooted in solid values that generally speaking serve us well. And they could have cost Idy Marcus dearly.Idy was raised in a very loving home by parents who married and started their family later in life. They adored each other and were connected in every way. This sentiment passed down to Idy and her sister, who picked up values like your handshake is your bond, present yourself well, give people the benefit of a doubt, and be honorable in all things.She also learned to be bold, take chances, and not be afraid to take the plunge. Her family encouraged her to be curious, courageous, and not fear failure. These traits all served Idy well as she grew her career as a leadership management and corporate conflict resolution expert. When she started her own company, she figured if it didn't work out, she had enough contacts eating lunch on Washington DC's K Street that she wouldn't go hungry. After her sister passed and then suddenly her dad two years later, Idy insisted her mother come live with her. Her mom attended events with her and served as a fantastic business resource. Just before they were to move overseas for work with a corporate client, her mom suffered a massive and debilitating stroke, rendering her unable to speak and with limited mobility. Idy immediately put her career on hold to stay at the care facility with her mom full-time. In her unique way, Idy carved out a path where everything was fine, until it wasn't – after all, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.One of her mother's caretakers seemed nice enough, if a bit awkward. Idy didn't make a whole lot of his obsession with her and minimized others' concerns. Then she found black roses left on her car. Then her car was broken into. At first she tried to reason with the man, to give him the benefit of a doubt… until he started stalking others.In a moment, when you meet Idy, you'll discover how dealing with this situation led her to take on the role of CEO for Pro-Tect Services, LLC, a startup that uses trained U.S. veterans to provide on-demand close protection security service to those confronting domestic and intimate partner violence and stalking.Idy's hype song is "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from the "Mary Poppins" Soundtrack.Resources:Idy Marcus' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idy-idora-marcus-520513277/ Invitation from Lori:This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today's hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn't built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It's built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication. Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it's easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because there are… Annual all-hands meetings where once a year you hear a well-rehearsed speech, employees clap politely, and everyone leaves with the same unanswered questions they came in with. "Open door policies" that no one ever uses because people are uncomfortable walking in to talk with someone they don't feel like they know very well. "Fun" team-building events like escape rooms, trust falls, and awkward,...

Tomorrow, February 14th, is Valentine's Day.For some, it's a joyous celebration of our connection with our spouse, companion, partner, and loved one.For others, it raises questions about why we need a holiday to mark something that's central to our life and our True North.And there are those for whom it's a source of grief or pain for various reasons – lack of a life partner, hurt over losing a life partner, or disillusionment over not having found a life partner.But you know what we don't talk about? Loving ourselves.I just finished reading a book called “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It” by Kamal Ravikant and want to share a powerful lesson and practice from the book.When's the last time you looked in the mirror and said “I love myself”?Do you think you could say it once?Could you say it ten times?When you tune in and listen to this very special episode, I'll show you how this practice works, how I've made this mantra part of my routine, and why I call it a “mantra” rather than, say, an “affirmation”.If you're looking for love on Valentine's Day, try looking in the mirror.This could change your life in ways that, up until now, you could not possibly have imagined!Resources:My Website: https://ZenRabbit.com/ LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/ Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/ Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/Visit the “FINE is a 4-Letter Word” store at https://zenrabbit.printful.me Claim your copy of “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It” by Kamal Ravikant at https://amzn.to/42SFWXi Listen to Episode #141, titled Regenerating Joy with Brad Chandler.Invitation from Lori: Now, let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It's about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you're ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for...

Always finish what you start.Don't give up a good thing; you're good at it and make a lot of money at it.The voice in your head is always right.All this sounds like good advice, yes?But what if one day you found out you had been slowly dying of this advice? I mean, literally, your health was deteriorating and you were wasting away?Tabatha Jones had an intuition for years that something was wrong, based on the challenges she started to face getting out of bed in the morning.At her foundations, nothing really stood out. She grew up in a typical middle class family and learned the values of hard work, responsibility, accountability, and being aware of the ripple effect caused by the example you set for others. She could sense when things weren't right and had no problem speaking up when she saw injustice or unfairness.Excellent traits. She grew up… fine. She got married and started what turned into a prosperous career doing work she was really good at and paid very well. It was all fine, until it wasn't – after all, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.While she loved the company she worked for and her co-workers, she started to feel out of alignment with how things were going. As a side-hustle, she began coaching in 2017, with a long-range goal of striking out on her own… someday.Then came yet another company reorganization that went on for almost a year and ended up with her staying in the same job. While she negotiated for a raise and got it, it wasn't fine anymore. Too much travel. Not feeling aligned with her purpose. The money was great, but she could barely get out of bed, much less fly from California one day to make an 8am Eastern meeting in Philadelphia the next.She planned to quit her job and go full-time with her side business in March 2020, but then, as you might recall, the world flipped upside down. Sure, she didn't have to fly to Philadelphia to meet with the Philadelphia people, but she still struggled, and finally gave notice in spring 2021.In the meantime, she had been seeing a naturopath trying to get to the bottom of her health issues. A few months after she quit her job, her naturopath called her in to review the latest test results… which were stunning.In a moment, when you meet Tabatha, you'll find out what happened, including the very unique way she found out her previous job had been slowly killing her. You'll also find out what her experience means for you, should you find yourself stuck in the ground like a tree whose roots are dug in too deep.Tabatha's hype song is "Confidence" By Demi Lovato.Resources:Tabatha Jones' website: https://www.empowered-leader.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tabatha-jones-4485854/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tabathajo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_tabatha/ Claim your copy of Tabatha's “Career Confidence Playbook for Women 50+” by visiting https://www.empowered-leader.com/freegift/Invitation from Lori:Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating...

In our society, we don't know how to talk about a lot of super important things. We don't learn, because we're not taught. And that's due to longstanding beliefs that we're supposed to handle things a certain way.Think about what happens if your spouse or life partner dies. You're expected to have a period of enforced mourning. You look weird at best, or heartless at worst, if you keep going to work rather than take bereavement leave. Heaven forbid you take a vacation or something. They say it's supposed to be funerals, wearing all-black, home alone miserable. Meanwhile, your life continues to tick on by.Shari Begun had the learned experience that helped her break this mold when her husband died, but she couldn't do it without a permission slip. In different ways, this both held her back and inspired her career and overall path in life.After her parents divorced, she was primarily raised by her mother, a hairdresser who along with a younger business partner started her salon in a time before single women could get business credit on their own. First, Shari learned the importance of learning and education. As you'll hear, her house was basically a library full of books, including THREE sets of encyclopedias! From her situation, she learned independence and being strong. Although the seeds were planted early on, she just recently got her “permission slip” to become a confident, transparent, sharing leader – a recognized mentor to women in STEM-related careers making their voices heard and advancing in the workplace.Shari went to college for electrical engineering, inspired by a family friend, a wealthy independent single woman who worked in the field. However, by junior year, she discovered she hated electrical engineering. Conversations with her college roommate's boyfriend, a mechanical engineer who had gone into sales and become successful at it, led her to a sales career. Shari's career blossomed as she rose to become the first female customer-facing VP in her company, in a very male-dominated STEM-related industry. She also grew in her calling as a mentor to women in STEM. Everything seemed fine. But five months later, she abruptly learned why Fine is a 4-Letter Word.It was Shari's birthday. As she and her husband returned from her celebration, he started having trouble breathing. 45 minutes later, he died. This was an inflection point. Career-wise, her ship had just come in. She was devastated over losing her husband, but wanted to keep on working. What would people think of her?In a moment, you'll discover how this moment of catastrophe, catharsis, and catalysis came together to make this Shari's ultimate moment (so far) and change a lot of people's lives. But first, she needed to get a permission slip.Why?Shari's hype song is "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne.Resources:Shari Begun's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharibegun/ Also, check out Episode #140, Replacing Fine with F*ck Off! with P.J. Roscoe, which covers some similar themes as this one.Invitation from Lori:Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all...

Before we begin, let me alert you that the content of this episode includes conversation about mental health struggles and suicide, which can be distressing for some people. Don't worry, we don't go into too much detail, but if you are uncomfortable about that kind of thing, you may want to avoid this episode. Imagine it's 3:00 AM, and your life is coming apart at the seams.You don't know how you can keep going, and maybe you're not sure you want to. Even if you believe this will pass if only you could get some sleep, you really need someone to hear your story and provide you some sort of comfort and support.Who would answer the call if you dialed their number right now? Is there even one person who comes to mind?Keith McNally was there and realized there was not one single person in the entire world who he felt would be there for him in his hour of desperate need.Growing up, he followed all the Catholic traditions and holidays, and gained the values of being kind, being yourself, and doing what's right. After high school, he joined the Marines. Then went on to college and all the way through to completing his PhD. He embarked on a successful career that included working in IT and being a professor of information technology.Along the way, he discovered how his values didn't so much change as he redefined their meanings and how he interpreted them. However, he says, he spent most of his adult life not knowing who he really was. He played roles and carried titles and filled expectations of others. But he didn't dig into and examine what was really important to him. Didn't ask himself, what is my life about? What is my philosophy of living? Which is why, perhaps from the outside, things looked fine for a while – but Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Between 1996 and 2021, he attempted suicide five times.It was after that fifth attempt that he took a good, hard look at things and realized he wasn't sure who he was, who he was meant to be – and that he had nobody to talk to about anything, really.In a moment, when you meet Keith, you'll discover the baby steps he took to turn things around. It started with simply talking to people on LinkedIn and listening to them tell their stories, which led to him launching several podcasts and YouTube channels. In the same time period, he started to focus on his physical health in a new way, adapting his exercise routine and his diet. And just when he was getting in better physical shape, building his resilience muscles and support networks to prevent another suicide attempt that could leave his teenage daughter without a dad – he had a heart attack.So once again, he gave the Grim Reaper the finger – and now he's gearing up to hike the entire Appalachian Trail! Keith's hype song is “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti.Resources:Keith McNally's website: https://drkeithmcnally.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkeithmcnally/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely...

“Life is short” is one of those cliches that gets thrown around with the idea that you should let things roll off your shoulders or not spend time analyzing the past.The truth is, though, that life is longer than you realize because...A person lives on in the memories of those who knew them, are familiar with their stories, and share these stories so that other people may know them too.Frank Favaro's grandfathers both died in 2004 when Frank was 27, but they are very much alive for him due not only to their stories, experiences, and lessons, but how they instilled in him both the values and the expectations that have simultaneously driven Frank's success and sometimes gotten in the way of it.His paternal grandfather, also named Frank Favaro, grew up fighting in a tough neighborhood to keep his lunch money, then had to fight to stay alive when the Mob took over his contract as a light heavyweight fighter, then went on to become a fighter as a union leader. Yet Frank Sr., who had a seventh-grade education, read poetry and discussed its lessons with his grandchildren.His maternal grandfather, Jim Biggins, was the nicest guy you'd ever meet and showed Frank how to be a great husband and father. Yet Jim's own daughter (Frank's mom) got divorced and left her son emotionally scarred by what she DIDN'T do.Frank Sr. taught him to look a person in the eye, while Jim taught the value of connections. Together, these values underpin the guiding principle that has brought Frank success working in six industries and as an entrepreneur, which is to find out who people are and how to create emotional connections with them. With all that, he should have been just fine – but Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In a moment, when you meet Frank, you'll discover how being a wrestler in high school not only left him feeling beaten down like a failure and demolished his will to apply himself in college, but pinned him down emotionally, leaving him unfulfilled in his career. Expectations are a lot to wrestle with, especially when they're someone else's.Then you'll learn how zooming back to the experience of his parents divorcing when he was seven years old, the lack of support he received when he blamed himself for it, and the stunning reason his parents, who were great people who loved him, did not offer him that support or even think to do so, left its marks.These unrelated threads came together to show Frank the importance of the customer experience – his life's work. And in their own way became pillars of his work, just as the memories of his grandfathers are living pillars for him. Frank's hype song is “Believe” by Lenny Kravitz.Resources:Frank Favaro's website: https://serve-centric.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-favaro-b1507b80/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankfavaro1/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these...

In the written description of my podcast, Fine Is a 4-Letter Word, I begin by asking:“Wasn't it just a couple years ago you were sitting on the beach at spring break in Ft. Lauderdale – listening to the Pet Shop Boys, U2, and Def Leppard - with your entire life ahead of you? Now you're looking back 30-plus years and wondering what the hell happened.”Basically, I've just described what used to be called the mid-life crisis. I started the show shortly after I'd embarked on some major mid-stream changes and was hearing similar rumblings from many of my friends. But I've long maintained that this isn't a crisis!What if everything that happened was just groundwork setting you up for your current success – and that there's a lesson to be found in how fast time seemed to zoom until one day you looked up and said “Holy s*it, I'm 52 years old!”This is what Katie Carty Tierney tells those who have yet to go through it.Her early life didn't seem like much of a crisis – she came from a good home where she learned that when you say you're gonna do something, you do it; and if you make a mistake, own up to it and work hard to be better.Growing up, she wanted to be a brain surgeon, then a pediatrician. As a college freshman, as part of her studies toward becoming some sort of doctor, she was made to do something in a biology lab she didn't agree with, which I'll leave to your imagination. So she pivoted to business analysis and research. This led Katie to a career in the computer industry as a consultant, which she enjoyed until the 2008 crash caused her to lose her job.Her husband was doing well in his career, so she became a stay-at-home mom for a while, volunteering for various networking organizations and stuff for the kids. She figured she'd go back to work eventually and everything seemed fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In a moment, when you meet Katie, you'll discover how her need to hang out with adults again led her down new career paths, including landing a job that required her to go through fifteen – yes, fifteen – interviews. What did she learn from that?And looking back with 20/20 hindsight, how has becoming an empty-nester for the first time in 23 years not only brought things full-circle, but also given her a wealth of information to pass along as she blazes the trail for others?You're about to find out.Katie's hype song is "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.Resources:Katie Carty Tierney's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiecartytierney/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It's about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life...

Remember that time you slammed your hand in the door? I heard you screaming obscenities for days. And depending on how it happened, it might have stung for a minute or caused you pain for a week.But imagine your hand didn't heal. Instead, it revealed you were slowly being ambushed by a silent killer. Act One to a new story you never saw coming.This is Susan Jackson Lee's story, and it ends on a cliffhanger.Susan grew up in a military family as the only daughter in a family full of men, where unsurprisingly she learned the values of discipline, timeliness, and hard work. Her father didn't believe women should be doctors or become successful on their own – he was old-fashioned like that. But this upbringing also taught her the value of never taking “no” for an answer – or as she puts it, “a no meant a yes for me”.She went to college and, unlike most of her classmates, was specifically interested in sales. Because she was usually the only person in line for sales jobs at the recruitment fairs, getting in was easy. And since then, Susan has grown in her career from a salesperson, to a manager of a federal business, all the way to vice-president at an Interior Design organization.Along the way, Susan met and married her entrepreneurial husband, started a family, and was fortunate to be healthy and fit. It seemed like she had everything going for her, and everything was fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word, and one day everything slammed to a halt – literally.One day while out running errands, Susan jumped out of her car and accidentally slammed the door on her hand. OUCH! I wince just thinking about this! She got a tetanus shot, but her hand wasn't healing. So she got an MRI, followed by a diagnosis of…Lung cancer.How could this be? Susan didn't smoke or drink, she ate right, she took care of herself, and she was disciplined about her health. Lung cancer?!?In a moment, when you meet Susan, you'll be stunned and amazed by the many lessons she learned while going through treatment, going into remission, and picking up the pieces of her life. Along the way, she let herself go to hell on purpose and got the idea she was about to lose her job, but she didn't. At the time of our recording though, she had just given notice at her job. What's up with THAT?!?Susan's hype song is "A Beautiful Day" by India Arie.Resources:Susan Jackson Lee's LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susan-jackson-lee-5878a13 Susan's new website: www.field2futureconsulting.comInvitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It's about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time,...

2024 has been quite a year.I spent most of the year as a nomad, traveling throughout the Southeast United States moving from town to town, housesitting for a lot of awesome cats (and a few awesome dogs). It was an amazing adventure that led me to see lots of new places, meet people in real life I'd only known online, and discover a few things about myself along the journey.But as I moved around, I lived with uncertainty. Tonight I would be in this one house, but where would I be tomorrow night? Would I have a place to go the next night after my current gig ended? When would I find out? Not only that, but this past summer my dad passed away. I was fortunate to be able to spend the last week of his life with him in Florida, however it also served as a reminder of how things change, how things come and go, and how important it is to cherish and savor what we have now.As we wrap up the year, I find myself settled down in a new apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina, determined to begin a new and different kind of adventure. As I traveled around the country in 2024, one of the things I missed out on was a sense of community. In 2025, we're changing that.Now, as your 2024 comes to an end and you look forward to the new year, give yourself the gift of tuning into this episode and discovering the takeaways that may serve your journey as you move to the next chapter in your life. And as you do so, take a moment and ask yourself these questions:✅ What is your theme word for 2025? (Mine are "community" and "transformation".)✅ What are some things that you want to do and bring into 2025 in your life? ✅ Conversely, what are you leaving behind? What is no longer serving you that you do not need to drag into 2025 with you?✅ What are your intentions for this coming year? ✅ What are you building for yourself? ✅ What would you ideally like your life to look like?✅ What are you committing to doing or not doing to get there?✅ What do you feel good about right now having accomplished or done in the past year?✅And how are you going to celebrate?My hype songs as we enter 2025 are "I Am Not Okay" by Jelly Roll and "Fearless" by The Goo Goo Dolls.Resources:My Website: https://ZenRabbit.com/ LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/ Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/ Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/Visit the “FINE is a 4-Letter Word” store at https://zenrabbit.printful.me Also check out Episode #67, Gratitude Through Hard Times with Chris Schembra.Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word -

Growing up in the United States, I was fortunate to not know what it's like to go through a day with bombs falling around me and my dad fighting in the war. For Robin Ayoub, this was his daily reality, and as he would eventually discover, getting away from it was how he found his way home.Imagine being eleven years old and given 24 hours to learn how to operate a knitting machine because your family's survival depends on it. Then picture yourself going door-to-door every weekend, selling the sweaters you made, knowing you can't come home until every single one is sold. That's where he learned what all good sales professionals know: the importance of making “one more call” or “one more stop on your route” before quitting time.That was just the beginning of Robin's extraordinary journey from war-torn Lebanon to becoming a tech executive whose influence spans four continents. Growing up as the oldest of five children, he was taught the importance of being productive and responsible. With a civil war raging around him, survivability was key. There was no time to lose. Even with all this going on, Robin finished college and got a job as a bank teller. One day he was sent home because of a bombing raid. Long story short – listen to hear what happened – he ended up in the hospital. When he got out, he said, “that's enough. I'm done here!” He took his younger brother and moved to Cyprus. He found a job and from there helped his parents and four younger siblings get their immigration paperwork in order. They all moved to New Brunswick, Canada, landing in the middle of a snowstorm and not speaking English. Through luck, Robin found a Maronite priest who spoke their language in the phone book, and within a short period of time he found work sweeping a construction site – a great use of his education in computers.But, it turns out the hotel they were expanding on that construction site needed somebody to update their billing software. Since programming languages were universal, his lack of English at the time didn't stop him. This opportunity led Robin to more jobs in computer programming, which in turn launched him onto what has become a rich, successful entrepreneurial journey.In Lebanon, daily bombardments were normal. The constant threat of violence became background noise. And he thought it was all fine. But as we know, Fine is a 4-Letter Word. In a moment, when you meet Robin, you'll discover how he looked back and realized how living with bombs falling around him showed him the importance of his family, his work, and his opportunity to inspire and lead others. You may be particularly interested in how it informed his definition of “perfect”.And I can hardly wait for you to hear where you can find Robin and his family every single morning at 6:30, without fail. Robin's hype song is "Daddy Cool" by Boney M.Resources:Robin Ayoub's website: https://www.L10NFiresideChat.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinayoub/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.ayoub Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robin.ayoub/ X: https://x.com/robinayoub Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you...

You've probably experienced sleep paralysis at some point – that weird “twilight zone” where you're caught between the conscious world and the world of dreams, aware of your surroundings but noticing they have weird shapes.Usually you can break out of sleep paralysis within a few seconds and after catching your breath, you're fully aware you're awake again and safe from whatever monster was trying to get you. But imagine being in that twilight zone for more than six weeks, where even though you're trying to scream and wake yourself up, there's no way out!This is where Craig Andrews found himself a few weeks into his COVID diagnosis.Craig's wife claims he was raised by wolves. He and his brother went for long walks, built a log cabin in the woods, and lept into swimming holes filled with sea nettles and jellyfish, which can be nasty toward humans invading their space. One day, the Andrews boys miraculously found a swimming hole with no sea nettles and no jellyfish. When they told their dad, he shook his head and told them they had been swimming in sewage.Craig's sense of adventure may have contributed to him having low grades in school – who has time to sit around and study? It definitely contributed to him joining the Marines and serving several tours of duty abroad, then coming home to get his degree from North Carolina State. First he worked as a design engineer, which did not reward creativity. So a shift to marketing, selling semiconductors for mobile phones, was Craig's next adventure. He kept at it, selling a product with steadily decreasing price curves, but everything seemed fine.As you know though, Fine is a 4-Letter Word. Craig quit to start his own business when the margins got so low his employer insisted he fly coach - but that wasn't the half of it!On Saturday, July 31st, 2021 Craig and his wife woke up horribly sick. A week later, Karen was gasping for air. Then she got better but Craig got worse. By August 10th, Craig conceded to going to the emergency room. He couldn't complete a sentence without taking multiple gasps of breath, and it would be another two months before he'd see Karen again. And three months before he'd leave the hospital in a wheelchair.Despite being put on a ventilator, Craig survived. Despite being prescribed a medication for COVID that was known to cause kidney failure because the government gave bonuses to doctors for prescribing it, Craig survived.In a moment, when you meet Craig, you'll discover his journey through TWO worlds – the physical world where bad things were done to him and said about him in his presence while he was in a coma, and the subconscious twilight world where these experiences morphed into dystopian adventures.Get comfy on the edge of your seat as you hear why the adventures stopped when Craig's wife showed up, and where Craig found himself when he woke up.Craig's hype song is "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" by The Offspring.Resources:Craig Andrews' website: https://allies4me.com Book websites: https://hopethatwontdie.com/ and https://makesalesmagical.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-andrews/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraigAndrewsMarketing X:

Can you feel the sense of dread just thinking about that time in your life when something went horribly wrong and everything you had planned was totally shot to hell?And what's worse? The fear of criticism and rebuke from those you count on to be part of your support network or their well-intentioned comments that don't do a damned thing to help and actually make you feel worse?Lilah Jones faced these questions when she got ripped off for thousands of dollars and almost lost her new house just when she had it in the bag.For Lilah, her values are so important she lists them on her website: heart-centered hustle, authenticity, bold action, active listening, holistic well-being, and self-actualization. The first three were ingrained growing up as the youngest of 11 children, a situation she describes as a place of scarcity and survival of the fittest. As she grew up, finished school, and started her career, Lilah came to appreciate that hustle does not have to be a painful thing and it doesn't need to be rooted in survival. She did not need to have suffering attached to her accomplishments. With this mindset, it seemed everything was fine.Then, in a sudden, dramatic way, Lilah found out that Fine is a 4-Letter Word when she had the opportunity to get scammed out of the down payment on her new house. Literally, as she was at the closing meeting, she discovered scammers had sent her a link to wire the money to them instead of where it was supposed to go in order to close on the house. Lilah and her family, including her elderly mother, were at risk of becoming homeless! Meanwhile, her family was waiting for her and her husband to get back from the closing meeting to celebrate with a bottle of champagne ready to pop.What was she to do?Now, note that a moment ago I said “opportunity to get scammed” and not “misfortune to get scammed” – this is key.In a moment, when you meet Lilah, you'll hear her amazing story about how she quickly got almost all the money back and still closed on the house. This only happened when she took a chance on being vulnerable. And instead of being condemned, she found strength she didn't know she had. This is a story she has told time and time again. It not only made the news, but has inspired thousands of others to find their strength in vulnerability, so they can achieve more than they thought possible. It changed her life forever.Lilah's hype song is “Fantasy” by Earth Wind and Fire.Resources:Lilah Jones' website: https://www.lilahjones.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilahjones Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_lilahjones/ Claim your instant access to Lilah Jones' free guide, “The Road to Renewal: Mapping Your Personal Off-Site”.Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these...

When I was a kid, I remember having Thanksgiving with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As an adult, there have been years where my husband and I spent Thanksgiving with just my mom or with a small group of friends. In the most recent past years, before last year, it's been having dinner with just one or two friends. My point is, not everyone has a big dinner to go to - and that's ok. You're not “less than” if you don't. And at the same time, it can feel lonely. If this is your situation, you've got a few choices here. One, you can figure out a way to alter your situation. Can you take the initiative to invite some others together and create an impromptu gathering?Or can you volunteer somewhere you can make a difference?Another choice is to find the good in being alone.As you can see, there are many ways you can go about this.Before you embark on today's adventure, wherever it takes you, give yourself the gift of tuning in to this special episode and discovering for yourself:✅ Why gratitude is a practice, not a platitude✅ How connection is the remedy for loneliness ✅ What it truly means to show up and be present - beyond the mental and emotional aspects ✅ A roadmap to help you shift your perspective so you can also shift your entire energy and outlook✅ How to hear, and trust, your inner voice and what it's telling you✅ And much, much more packed into this powerful episode!Resources:My Website: https://ZenRabbit.com/ LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/ Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/ Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It's about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you're ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.It's time to step out of the clusterf*ck... of fear, regret, and disappointment, and into a place of peace, contentment – and gratitude in a way you've never seen it before, up until now!

When it feels like success and fulfillment continue to elude you even when you think you're doing all the right things and making the right moves, it can be a real mindf*ck.What's holding you back? What's the block? Why is it always one step forward, two steps back?Todd Bertsch wrestled with this question for years.He grew up in the 1970s and 1980s in a lower middle-class family where they didn't really discuss their values or have a lot of those poignant teaching moments you saw in the popular TV sitcoms at the time. Todd learned by watching and observing, and what he picked up was good enough: the value of hard work from parents who had multiple jobs and side-hustles, the value of inclusion from living in an ethnically mixed neighborhood, and the value of teamwork from playing sports. When he wanted something, he went to work and made the money to buy it.These same values carried him into early adulthood, where he worked his way through college as a janitor and graduated with honors, worked in jobs involving marketing, graphic design, web development, and other pursuits at the height of the tech boom. Then he decided it was time to put all that to good use and start his own business. Today, Todd is a successful entrepreneur and podcast host with a great family, and everything's fine. Check out his website to learn more. The End. Now, let's bring Todd on and get started with the interview.Right? WRONG!Todd struggled through that path much more than he needed to because everything was NOT fine. Remember, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Underneath all that, Todd had a hell of a temper. It showed up when he constantly got ejected from sports games, so much so he became “famous” in his town for being red-carded at soccer more than any kid in the whole league. In his 20s, he lived in a house that was basically a drug den, until he got in a really bad argument with two guys who beat the f*ck out of him! Looking back at some of his interactions at companies he worked for, he says that if the person he was back then worked for him, he'd have fired his ass!And then it all changed. In a moment, when you meet Todd, you'll find out that it wasn't really some dramatic shift in who he was or how he did life, but more a decision not to be so trigger-tempered. You'll discover what support systems he relied upon, what inspired and motivated him, and how the practice of Positive Intelligence not only improved his results, but enabled him to mentor others.Todd's hype song is “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.Resources:Todd Bertsch's website: https://www.toddbertsch.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddmbertsch/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboltwithtoddb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theboltwithtoddb/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theboltwithtoddb YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theboltwithtoddb Podcast: https://www.toddbertsch.com/podcast/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and

As humans, we're designed for interdependence – we cannot go it alone. We're designed to be part of networks and complement each other's journeys. The title of this episode is one of the reasons I started this podcast – to help listeners know they're not alone in their feelings and life journey. But what happens when, due to your levels of sensitivity and empathy, you become so much in service to the feelings and needs of others that not only does it hold you back, but it holds others back?Scott Hackman, growing up as a highly sensitive child before terms like “empath” entered the vernacular, thought everything was fine, all things considered, before his own value system hit him like a ton of bricks flying in out of nowhere.Growing up, he learned the value of service toward others, more by having it modeled by his family and what he gleaned on the surface from religion than someone sitting down and explaining it to him. This carried Scott through several iterations of his journey – his marriage, his time working in religious ministry, when he was involved in the family business selling coffee, and then to his work with entrepreneurs helping them design succession and saleability plans in their businesses.Overall, he seemed to be on a journey of growth and everything seemed fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Along with having learned the value of service, Scott was also exposed to traumas as a result of unspoken and not consciously acknowledged generational patterns. All that service actually took the form of people-pleasing, and it became more of a survival skill. In his early 30s, Scott found himself admitted to inpatient psych due to suicidal ideation.As I said… it seemed to come out of nowhere like a ton of bricks.In a moment, when you meet Scott, you'll discover his fascinating learning journey toward a new level of self-actualization that he didn't know existed – that in fact, many don't know exists.Among other things, you'll learn about the difference between a recovery mindset and a growth mindset, and how these things intertwine. You'll also see that it's possible to find good things in bad situations – to essentially go back and rewrite chapters of your life so the story serves you, now and in the future.And, you'll discover why Scott says that he and his wife, who he's been with the whole time, have so far had at least four marriages.This will amaze you.Scott's hype songs are listed on his Spotify playlist, “You're Not Alone”.Resources:Scott Hackman's website: https://scotthackman.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthackman/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottHackmanVentures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scott_hackman/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods -...

In a world where women are told to have it all, do it all, and be it all, the reality they face while actually trying to do these things is far more complex. The pay gap looms large – over the span of a career, it takes 132 years to close – while the confidence gap, the leadership gap, and the broken rung in the corporate ladder persist.Erica Anderson Rooney has faced all these challenges intimately, personally, and head-on as she's climbed the ranks to the C-suite while raising a family. But wait – there's more.Erica grew up as the daughter of parents who divorced when she was very young. Both were loving parents, and they lived close to each other so that she could spend half the week with her dad and half the week with her mom.Having to live in two different households, each with different expectations, rules, and ways of doing things, led Erica to become a chameleon and put other people first in order to get by as smoothly as possible and avoid conflict and friction.Three of her values were learned from her mom. Go to school and get good grades so you can have a good-paying job and financial independence was the first. This led to the second, which was to never be in a situation where you have to depend on a man – a fitting lesson given the circumstances. The third was to be a good person, be kind, be generous, and always show up and do the right thing.These values carried Erica through childhood and college, into her first career, and into her marriage. Everything seemed fine, because of a fourth lesson she had learned – but that was the problem, as Fine is a 4-Letter Word.See, the fourth lesson was that alcohol solves a lot of problems, whether it makes you feel happier, helps you forget why you're sad, or loosens your inhibitions. Or helps you “ease up” when trying to be a chameleon has you grinding against your authentic self.By dulling the edge, Erica missed that she wasn't in touch with her authenticity. She'd go to a concert and say “this is great” in order to please whomever invited her, even if she hated the music. But sometimes, she would have a glass of wine to cope with houseguests she didn't want to deal with. A glass would turn into two, then three – then a whole bottle. She'd wake up not knowing what happened or what she said, or sensing tension with her husband and not even knowing what they had fought about the night before. In a moment, when you meet Erica, you'll hear about the path to claiming her power to allow her authenticity to come through.Erica's hype song is "Owl City" by Verge ft. Aloe Blacc.Resources:Erica Anderson Rooney's website: https://www.ericaandersonrooney.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericarooney/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromnowtonextribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaandersonrooney/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word...

Imagine you're less than 30 years old, and so tired you're afraid to drive because you might fall asleep at the wheel and cause an accident.Picture the frustration of seeing doctor after doctor after doctor, only to be told you're not sick, just depressed.Then, after getting so many wrong answers, you conclude you have a brain tumor, because that seems to be the only possibility left.And while all this is going on, you're also in a toxic relationship that, as part of the final scene, has you seeking a Protection from Abuse Order.This was Anne Desjardins' journey to health.She was raised in a traditional, loving family environment that emphasized caring for others and continuous self-improvement. Her father was an ER physician. Her grandfathers and uncles were doctors. Her parents also had what today we would call side hustles. All of them listened to cassette tapes about business success, meaning Anne heard a lot of these too and they left an imprint.Anne went to college for international business, but left after one year because it wasn't for her. She already knew that following her family's path and becoming a doctor wasn't for her either, since she passes out at the very sight of blood. When she did return to college, her value of helping others led her into a liberal arts curriculum. She graduated and began a promising career in sales. She fell in love. It was still early in the game, but everything seemed fine.But you know, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Right around the time of her breakup, she saw a massage therapist who told Anne, “your soul is dying”. Pretty soon, it felt like her body was dying too. Along with memory loss, she suffered from night sweats, hives, and insomnia. Even her dental hygienist noticed something was unusual about the plaque on her teeth. Desperate for sleep, she began drinking vodka straight out of the bottle. Numerous doctors and specialists tried, but failed, to come up with answers.Until finally she got the answer: Lyme Disease.The seven years of struggle to finally get the answer she needed touched off a seven-year battle to get healthy again. In a way it was poignant that she had come to believe she was dying of brain cancer, only to find out she was bitten by a bug and the cure was a regimen of antibiotic treatments.In a moment, when you meet Anne, you'll hear how she decided not getting better was NOT one of her choices. Additionally, her journey highlights her core value of service to others, as she's now become an empowering voice for Lyme Disease patients and others.Anne's hype song is “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys.Resources:Anne Desjardins' website: https://www.thesilverlyming.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Annedesjardins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anne.desjardins.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Anne.desjardins.15Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT...

Fear often holds you back, even if it doesn't make sense to be afraid. You can have everything you ever wanted – a fantastic career, creature comforts, money to afford anything you need, plus “f*ck-you money” in the bank that gives you the freedom to not have to do anything you don't want to.And even with all that, you can still have an empty, nagging sense like you don't really have anything at all.This has been Constantin Morun's journey.Born in Romania, at the tail end of a vicious dictatorship that offered its people no consumer goods, banned typewriters, and forced citizens to use light bulbs so dim they couldn't see around the room, it was easy for Constantin to find himself without freedom of expression and surrounded by scarcity.While he was raised with love and compassion, he also knew what it felt like to be left in the dark, both figuratively and literally.In 2000, when Constantin was 17, his family moved to Canada. There he was in a new land where he didn't understand the language, the school system or the level of diversity he'd never seen or experienced before.He did well in college and got a degree in mathematics, but his work wasn't his passion. So he became a professional poker player while also coaching poker players, made a lot of money at it, but succumbed to pressures from others who told him he needed to get a “real job” at some point.This brought him to the United States and into the corporate hustle, and within seven years he was doing extremely well. As a result of hard work and accomplishment, he got a promotion. Everything seemed fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In a moment, when you meet Constantin, you'll hear about how just when it seemed he had it all – all he felt was an enormous emptiness inside. Which led him on the powerful journey of redefining terms like “regret” and “fear” and through which he discovered that, when all is said and done, these things are little more than illusions.Prepare to discover the concept of “decoy fears” and that when bad things happen, there's still always something good in it for you, as long as you're willing to look for and see it.Constantin's hype songs are brain music you can find on Brain.fm.Resources:Constantin Morun's websites: https://calmsuccesslive.com/ and https://unleashthyself.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantin-bo-morun/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Unleash-Thyself/100091499994716/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/unleashthyselftoday X: https://x.com/Unleash_Thyself Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will...

You know the saying: your network is your net worth.You can intentionally engineer the results by curating your circle of influence over time, keeping in touch, and being on the alert for subtle connections the casual observer might miss.And then you might unintentionally end up on a flight with the CEO of your former employer, take your chance on grabbing the seat next to him in first class, and seize the opportunity to create networking connections that help him close a major deal.Helen Fanucci took both approaches and had been able to practice and master the art of finding what's possible.Her parents instilled this in her by showing her she could achieve anything she put her mind to. When, as a young girl living in Boston, she told her father, who was the minister of a congregational church, that she wanted to go to the MIT, and asked if he thought she could get in, he told her the only way to find out was to try.Spoiler alert - she got into MIT.But before that, as Helen was finishing seventh grade, her mother died of ovarian cancer only a year after her family had moved to Seattle. During a visit to Boston she realized that although she was struggling to fit in living in Seattle, she could find her place if she intentionally looked for and created it.After graduating from MIT, she worked as a manufacturing engineer for IBM in Silicon Valley. Worried that IBM's culture of spending your entire career there could leave her stagnant, she pivoted into sales. She grew into the role through building her network and seeking knowledge where she could find it - until an unsettling discovery led her to leave IBM and work for a prospective client.Cue the coincidental meeting with the CEO of IBM on the airplane and Helen's opportunity to use her networking skills to create a relationship between the CEO and her new employer's CEO. By all standards, everything was going just fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In a moment, when you meet Helen, you'll discover how going on maternity leave changed everything. How spending a career in corporate America inspired her mantra of “this won't last forever.” And why all these years later she's started her own company that helps B2B companies with their go-to-market using AI tools.It's a fascinating story, and you have to hear Helen tell it in her own words.Helen's hype song is “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison.Resources:Helen Fanucci's website: https://www.pipelinepower.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenfanucci/ Claim your copy of Helen's book, Love Your Team: A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World.Invitation from Lori: In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once you read it, you'll ✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.It's...

When you work in sales, you of course want to build trust with your prospects and make them feel like you have their best interests at heart and aren't simply selling them something just to earn a commission. Resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning are as important to your success as empathy, patience, and effective communication.Then there's the question of whether you enjoy sales and believe in what you're selling, or if it's just a job and you're doing the best you can to be decent at it. These, and other sentiments, are why today's conversation with Gabe Lullo, the CEO of Alleyoop, is so important.Gabe grew up in Buffalo, New York, which itself requires a lot of grit because you deal with really cold weather and a lot of snow. Add to that, Gabe and his sister were raised in modest circumstances by a single mom who worked two jobs so her kids could go to private schools and get a great education, even though it cost 90% of her income.At the same time, he was close to his grandfather, a sports coach who modeled the “coaching” rather than the “bossing” approach to leadership.When he turned 18, his mother made him go to bartending school. The idea was that no matter what happened with his career, Gabe could always make money.In college, while taking classes and doing internships, he worked nights as a bartender, a vocation that in hindsight taught him so much about sales, marketing, relationships, and more in a way that you simply don't get in the classroom. He first considered law school, then pivoted to finance, and then 9/11 hit and all opportunities in that sector evaporated.Nevertheless, Gabe persisted, and he became a partner in a business venture, got married, and started a family. It was tough going there, but everything seemed like it was going to be just fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word, and his business partnership broke up, sending him back to square one with an infant daughter to care for.In a moment, when you meet Gabe, you'll discover how the next pivot in his journey, doing cold-calling as a Sales Development Representative (SDR) at minimum wage, touched off a meteoric journey that less than a decade later landed him in his current position as CEO of that company.Doing the hard things has paid off, and as a result, Gabe has found a level of passion and fulfillment he hadn't imagined would be possible while shoveling through those Buffalo blizzards. Now he's about to lay it all out for you.Gabe's hype song is "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins.Resources:Gabe Lullo's website: https://alleyoop.io/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lullo/ Invitation from Lori:In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once you read it, you'll ✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.It's only 7 pages, so it won't take you long to get through. When you're ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place...

It's called “continuous growth” for a reason.When you cut down a tree, or a tree snaps and falls, the rings you'll see reveal more than the age of the tree based on how many rings there are. Each ring will be a different width, a different color or shade.Each of these rings tells a story about how changes in the environment impacted its growth and development as it grew from a sapling into a fully-fledged organism sprouting branches, growing leaves, bearing fruit, expanding its roots, or whatever other functions it performed during its life cycle.Jennifer Frye's story of surviving domestic abuse and finding her way to thrive by looking from the inside out makes me think of this metaphor.Growing up, Jennifer was instilled with the values of hard work, work ethic, honesty, integrity, family, education… and guilt. Yes, she grew up in the 1980s.Her father was a successful entrepreneur who worked a lot of hours and embodied the hustle culture. Though she grew up in a loving household, both her parents died when she was in her 20s. She was determined to be a success story and to do what she believed would be expected of her.Jennifer got married, had a child, and started a business, so it seemed like she was set to emulate her father and everything would be fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Her husband gradually became abusive. First it was emotional abuse, trauma, gaslighting, and displays of power like blocking her from leaving a room or laying behind her car so she could not leave the driveway. She tried to make it work for the sake of their child having a complete home. Then, after she went out with a friend for her birthday, he accused her of being with another man and struck her.That was the break. Though it was scary, and she didn't have a whole lot to go on as her business was just starting to really take off, she divorced him and embarked on a journey to making it on her own.Funny thing, though. She had already been managing the household and primary in raising their child, so on the surface level, aside from a struggle to make ends meet, things hadn't actually changed all that much. Until one day, she was emptying the dishwasher and found sheer joy at knowing she didn't have a man who would cause her anxiety if she didn't empty the dishwasher.In a moment, when you hear from Jennifer, you'll see how, like the rings of a tree, she discovered how as you go through the layers of bark, you find your tolerations that get in the way of gratitude and dispose of them.And most of all, you'll be energized by the power of the word “because”.Jennifer's hype song is "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston.Resources:Jennifer's website: https://appreciatedasset.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-levy-frye/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/appreciatedasset/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/appreciatedasset/ Also be sure to check out Episode #81, Resilience in the Face of Adversity: A Dad's Story of Overcoming Loss and Embracing Gratitude with Mike Fister – Mike connected me to Jennifer for today's enlightening...

Living through the pandemic changed all of our lives, in one way or another.For some, it was coming to a realization that you didn't feel like your business or your career was your true calling, in which case it's possible you may have encountered someone like today's guest during your journey toward finding something more aligned with your life's purpose.For others, it's finding out that although you had a bunch of superficial or virtual interactions every day, you essentially felt alone. And maybe the friend or mentor you needed was someone you had never met, like in the form of a content creator, an author, or a podcast host.This is Brian Fink's story.Growing up, his family was in the shirt manufacturing business. Today, he's a talent acquisition partner who finds top-tier hires. One day, at a recruiting event, a candidate approached him and asked if he was one of the Finks who had owned the local shirt factory. It turns out, Brian's grandfather had given his father white dress shirts as a reward for making Dean's List at an HBCU, Albany State University, and to encourage him to continue doing well in his studies.This encounter led Brian to the realization that because of what his grandfather did for those students and during the civil rights movement, that Brian's striving to make sure things are fair and indivisible for everybody comes through family legacy.Brian has enjoyed a storied career. He's owned recruiting businesses, exited them, and helped others grow and exit their recruiting businesses. He has worked for companies like Amazon and AWS, Twitter, and Vanguard on his way toward his current work at McAfee.As an “intrapreneur”, as he calls himself, he lives out the values imprinted by his grandfather as well as one of his grandmothers, who taught him to value friendships and the communities you create and serve.This all sounds fine.. but Fine is a 4-Letter Word.About 20 years ago, Brian found out he suffers from anxiety and depression.In his search for understanding, acceptance, strength, and growth, he found himself drawn toward not only mentors in the workplace who create space for him to learn from mistakes and explore his talents, but also remote mentors – those authors, speakers, and podcast hosts. He reads voraciously to the point that he's not really up on “pop culture” because he prefers books to television and movies.Like the day he discovered by chance that his grandfather had been someone else's father's hero, there was one particular video he found that gives him incredible inspiration to find what he is looking for on the other side of fear.When you listen to Brian, you'll discover how he has found companionship and mentorship at a distance.Brian's hype song is “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World.Resources:Brian Fink's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfink/ Will Smith's video that we discuss during the interview, “What Skydiving Taught Me About Fear”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFIB05LGtMs Invitation from Lori:In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once you read it, you'll ✅

Do you think you've got it made?Today's situation is remarkable for the sheer amount of disruption, rapid change, and even chaos that seems to spin faster and faster with each passing moment.Just in the past few years, the world has been turned upside down, stood back up, spun around, and sent into the rapids by a pandemic that has become endemic, political and social upheaval that might leave you feeling like nothing would really surprise you at this point, predictions becoming fact in weeks rather than years, and much more that few of us saw coming just five years ago.What if you could take a step back and turn down the noise?Rick Herrmann invites you to do just that.For the past 35 years, Rick has been what he calls an “always on” tech executive who thrives in the intensity and passion of work and then in play with his family. These experiences have taught him to be resilient, driven, and adaptable. As a kid in New England during the 1980s, when Michael J. Fox played Alex P. Keaton, Rick grew up in the family ties of a supportive environment as the son of an engineer and entrepreneur who left the house at 5:30 am and came home at 6:30 pm and installed in young Rick the values of hard work and certainty. These values inspired him to enter the tech world, a place where bedrock stability and calm through crisis are key to doing a great job and making a big difference. In the workplace, you might think of IT only when something goes wrong; the rest of the time you subconsciously bask in the certainty the up-and-running servers give you that you'll be able to do your job.You might say Rick stands out by not standing out – he's a gentle, quiet man with a great career and a wonderful family. Everything's fine with Rick – why would we even have him on a show that's about radical inflection points and catharsis?But that's just the thing – FINE is a 4-Letter Word.Things got a little f*cked up for Rick – in an understated way – when he entered his 50s and the world entered a pandemic. Coupled with the loss of a parent, it drove him to identify three core values – family, compassion, and doing big things.Along the way, he's taken plenty of walks in nature, walking calls with employees that are about candidly venting without the pressure to solve the world's problems, and driven the shift from “work-life balance” to “work-life integration”. Along the way, he's brought computers to millions of underserved communities so they have a fair opportunity to participate in all the world has to offer.Now tune in and prepare to soak up some of the wisdom Rick has learned along the way.Rick's hype song is "Need a Favor" by Jelly Roll.Resources:Rick Herrmann's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickaherrmann Invitation from Lori:In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once you read it, you'll ✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.It's only 7 pages, so it won't take you long to get through. When...

Self-reliance. Determination and grit. Treating others the way you want to be treated.These are some of the most noble traits our society says we can possibly have, attributing people who exude them as being the product of a good upbringing and the kind of person we should aspire to be.These are also the traits than can bite you in the ass and f*ck everything up when they come back at you like a boomerang and whack you upside the head just when you think you've done it all right and everything's fine.This is Michelle Charpentier's story.She was raised with the “Golden Rule” by hardworking, self-relliant parents who always came through for her, one way or another. Her dad was a school teacher and a musician who got by just fine by living this same value system. Her mom was always busy doing something.Michelle embarked on a successful management career in the jewelry industry, where she discovered a few things that really stood out. Like the time a meeting coordinator asked Michelle to be liaison with the cleaning lady rather than approach the woman directly because Michelle seemed to get along with her so well. Or that some managers were assuming everything was fine with their employees and not taking the time to get to know their likes and dislikes.Eventually, Michelle was offered the kind of major promotion you don't say no to. For a while it involved a long commute from New York City to New Jersey, but she was able to get transferred to NYC and everything seemed fine.But FINE is a 4-Letter Word.Michelle burned out, but it wasn't just the commute and the long hours that come with being in retail that drove her to leave it all behind and start her own consulting firm so she could have more flexibility to start a family.Remember that boomerang that comes around and hits you back? Michelle felt it when all of a sudden she had nobody to manage. Then she found those traits of self-reliance, determination, and grit became a problem when employees weren't around whose specific job it was to help her. And that Golden Rule thing? She found out in the “silence of solopreneurship” that it played a huge role in burning her out and cost her a fortune in life.In a moment, when you meet Michelle, you'll find out how all those admirable traits f*cked things up – and some new values she developed that actually made her an even better person than the fine human being she already was. It may come across as contrarian, and it may shock you. And that's exactly why you need to listen.Michelle's hype song is "WOW" by Post Malone.Resources:Michelle Charpentier's website: https://www.charpconsulting.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleccharpentier/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/charpconnectionsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brooklyn_pioneer/Also, check out Episode #135, Pull The Weeds When They're Wet with Kris Ward, for even more on the topics Michelle shares with us today.Invitation from Lori:In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set...

Imagine going about your day, following your routine, when out of the blue something comes along and knocks you to the ground, ending the life you've known up until that moment.In the movies, things can go into slow motion, or you hear the “needle scratch” that ends the background music as everything comes to a shuttering halt and you fall to the ground.This was the moment Dori Staehle (pronounced STAY-LEE) got beat like a drum in a bicycle accident – and as she was soon to discover, drumming was going to be the next step.Dori told her professors she was raised by wolves. Her father became a single parent to Dori and her two older sisters and the girls found themselves taking care of the household with minimal parental guidance.At age 16, she left home to live with a friend from high school. Around that same time developed a curiosity about spirituality and sought to learn more about faith on her own. After college, where she almost burned out due to her heavy course load, Dori pursued a career path of international business and sales and marketing but felt unfulfilled creatively. At the same time, she discovered her children “learned differently.” so out of necessity she designed a unique way to teach them mathematics.It was then that Dori discovered that hand drumming helped beat stress and ADHD issues and improved productivity. So in 2009 she became a Certified Drum Therapist with Drums and Disabilities, and later trained with Health Rhythms.Not everything was “fine” – that 4-Letter Word – but it was about to get worse. BAM! One day in 2011, that bicycle came out of nowhere. After weeks of being put off when she sought proper medical attention and being told she was “fine” when she was in constant pain, an MRI revealed that not only did she have a mass of cysts inside her, the bicycle accident had triggered Aphasia.Dori almost gave up, but decided to ask God to give her a way to heal herself and others - and that's when things got interesting.Already well into her 50s, she started her fourth business, Next Stage Drumming, mainly offering classes, events, and private drum therapy sessions. Once Dori added some mentoring and coaching to the mix, she began to see breakthroughs taking place very quickly – not only for her clients, but for herself as well.In a moment, when you meet Dori, you'll hear her fascinating story about how all the threads, lessons, triumphs, and tragedies of her life coalesced as if they were leading her to the drums. As Dori says, “You're never too old and it's never too late to rock what you've got!”Dori's hype song is "Rise Up (Lazarus)" by CAIN.Resources:Dori Staehle's website: https://www.nextstagedrumming.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doristaehlemba Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextstagedrummingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextstagedoriClaim your access to Dori Staehle's free stress relief video when you sign up for her newsletter: https://www.nextstagedrumming.com/free-tips/Invitation from Lori:Before you press that "Play" button (or after you finish listening), let me mention that in my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can...

What do Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Courtney Love, Daryl Hannah, Jerry Seinfeld, Albert Einstein, Heather Kuzmich, Elon Musk, Lionel Messi, Eminem, and Satoshi Tajiri have in common?Celebrity? Creativity? Fame? Fortune? Yes, all of them have these things to varying degrees. Each and every one of them also has (or in Einstein's case, had) autism.So does author, actor, autism advocate, and animal rights activist Daniel Keith Austin, creator of the children's book series, Chelsea's New Journey. I was especially interested in hosting Daniel on the show because there are a lot of misconceptions around what autism is and how people with it interact with the world. It's a topic that's near and dear to my heart because my nephew is on the spectrum. Daniel was raised with the core beliefs of striving to be a good and decent person who treats people well, does things for the overall benefit of mankind, and helps people lead better lives.He also grew up as one of four autistic siblings and experienced many challenges. He was a disruptive kid who struggled in an educational system that just wanted him to follow orders and behave while doing little to support him in learning to form relationships and communicate effectively. He didn't find out he had autism until he was 14 years old. In Daniel's case, you could say things were never “fine” – for him, Fine is a 4-Letter Word and always has been.In a moment, when you meet Daniel, you'll discover how his passion for writing, performing, and storytelling led him to create a series of children's books about Chelsea the Golden Retriever.Revolving around the life story of a Golden Retriever based on Daniel's childhood dog, this series breaks down and transforms complicated, contentious themes into an understandable, relatable tale that powerfully addresses themes of abandonment, the need for acceptance and belonging, and triumph over adversity through seemingly impossible challenges from the perspective of someone who lacks a human voice.Through Chelsea's eyes, Daniel invites you to join an engaging and thought-provoking story arc around Chelsea becoming a therapy dog for people on the autism spectrum.Daniel's hype song is “Something's Coming” from West Side Story.Resources:Daniel Keith Austin's websites: https://danielkeithaustin.com/ and https://www.chelseasnewbeginningbook.com/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/chelsea.the.golden.retrieverInstagram: https://instagram.com/chelseathegoldenretriever88/X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/ChelseaTheGold2Invitation from Lori: Before we get to this thought-provoking, emotional conversation that delivers a new perspective on thriving with autism, let me mention that in my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once...

In conversations with friends and through my own experiences, I know our animals who've crossed the rainbow bridge can still communicate with us. My kitty girls show up in my dreams from time to time. My guest today is Maribeth Decker. And when she started receiving messages from her dogs after they passed away, it led her to her current vocation.Like many of my guests, Maribeth was raised to conform to social expectations. Be good, be quiet, be smiley. Don't ask questions. Do as you're told. Whatever you're told is the absolute truth. At age 13, she was out in the woods when she asked God if He existed. She received an incredible response from a loving, intelligent presence. Part of the message was that maybe the humans in her life didn't have all the answers after all.In college, she studied pre-med and was horrified by being forced to do experiments on live turtles and mice. After college, her boyfriend suggested she join the Navy, which was a “Fuck Yes” decision for her. In the service she lived up to the drunken sailor stereotype. But when she lost her drinking partner because he decided to get sober, she decided to get sober too. After 17 years, Maribeth took early retirement from the Navy and became an association manager. During that time, her first husband died, leaving her with young children. She could have worked as an association manager until she retired, and given all she had been through, that would have been fine for Maribeth.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Instead, Maribeth felt a calling to do something else – massage therapy, then Reiki. After 21 years as an association manager, having already taken courses in massage therapy and Reiki, she retired from her job and went into these practices full-time. Things were going great; this was a right fit. Then her deceased dogs began sending her messages.Eddie transitioned right before she left for a business trip. While on the airplane, Maribeth felt Eddie's presence in the aisle and even petted her. Eddie stayed with her the first night in the hotel to make sure she was able to do her best work. Similarly, Timmy, who had passed years before, visited her at her home. He was a full-body apparition, grinning to say he was OK, he was happy and he loved her. Had Maribeth become Dr. Doolittle? What did all this mean?In a moment, when you meet Maribeth, you'll discover how this led her to a new and exciting chapter working with animals to help them become better family members through intuitive communication, medical intuition, and energy healing.Maribeth's hype song is “Pyro” by Kings of Leon.Resources:Maribeth Decker's website: https://sacredgrove.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribethdecker/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualpetpeopleInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/maribethdecker/ Also, check out the following episodes we discussed during our interview:Tap Into Your Intuition & Own Your True Self with Brigitte BakerYou Have a Ghost in Your Neck with Melanie...

As a Gen-Xer, I remember when the prevalent view about being gay was that it was something you'd be afraid for people to find out about. It's also been our generation that started to change that. We've come a long way in the past couple decades, but it can still be a frightening prospect if your family and community are predominantly heteronormative.With the stigma surrounding homosexuality that prevailed in the last century, can you blame someone for being afraid to come out, even if everyone they privately confided in has been completely understanding and supportive?This is Kevin O'Connor's story.Kevin was raised in the 1950s and 1960s in the middle of the Midwest – Elgin Illinois to be exact – as part of a family that founded the first funeral home in that town in 1930 and continued to operate it up until 1984. He, his parents, and his older brother lived in one part of the house; his uncle, aunt, and three older girl cousins lived in another part of the house; the funeral parlor was on the ground floor. He uses the word “inclusive” to summarize his family and social environment growing up.While he was welcome to make a career in the family business, nobody insisted; his family supported him when he went to college for education and became a teacher. In his early 20s, he got married. This was a great start, and everything seemed fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word – and in 1971, being gay was not considered “fine”.In a moment, when you meet Kevin, you will discover his extraordinary journey of coming out to his first wife, his second wife, his father, and his sons. And then what inspired him to come out publicly at 55 years old and the impact it had on all his relationships, including and especially the one with himself. This is a story about inclusivity, acceptance, self-discovery, and navigating the waters of society you cannot miss – tune in now and you may find yourself seeing a new point of view.Kevin's hype song is "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder.Resources:Kevin O'Connor's website: https://www.kevinoconnorauthor.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmoconnor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.oconnor2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegriefnavigator/ Also check out our episode, Unleash Your Joy with Carol Banens which includes a theme related to something Kevin and I discussed.Invitation from Lori:In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once you read it, you'll ✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.It's only 7 pages, so it won't take...

While it's difficult to track how many people with cancer do not seek treatment, the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) conducted a study a few years ago that indicated about 9.2% of patients receive no first course of treatment.This could be for many reasons, including fear or disbelief in traditional or corporate medicine, alternative treatments that stay off the statistics, or they just say “fuck it” and decide to enjoy the time they have left the best they can.But what if you're diagnosed with cancer and seeing an oncologist just doesn't fit into your plan?This was Deb Krier.Deb was raised in a small town as the only child of a father who worked most of the time and was uninvolved to the point that he was vaguely aware the family had a bank account, and a mother who was the secretary at the local doctor's office. Their marriage may have been what we today call a “female-led relationship” – her mother ran everything and insisted on making every decision.This brought out two traits in Deb – it made her a perfectionist and perhaps a bit of a control freak, and it also made her very independent and insistent on having control over her own life.She went to college, started a business, and in her 30s got married. They lived in Denver until her husband got transferred to Atlanta. Because they don't have kids and otherwise are independent people, the move wasn't that hard. They planted stakes in Atlanta and things went on. Hell, everything seemed fine.But FINE is a 4-Letter Word.A routine mammogram revealed something, but it was minor and easily treatable. Since it didn't seem urgent, Deb didn't exactly rush to the oncologist – actually, it wasn't until months later, once the cancer had spread and things got serious, that she began treatment.The journey through cancer has taught Deb many lessons, including the importance of delegation in her business, how to assert her autonomy and retain her choice as she goes through treatment, and a long quest through which she has discovered a new meaning and definition for the concept of death.For a while, her mother moved in to help with care, which led to arguments because Deb, her mother, and her husband fought over who was in charge. It was a huge deal just to persuade her mother to leave when she was no longer needed.So, how is Deb doing? How did this inspire her to create her venture, Trying Not to Die, which works with cancer patients showing them how to LIVE? We're about to find out.Deb's hype song is “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten.Resources:Deb Krier's website: https://tryingnottodie.live/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahkrier/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1465660477225232 Also check out our episode, Replacing Fine with F*ck Off! with P.J. Roscoe which includes a theme related to something Deb and I discussed.Invitation from Lori:Now, let me mention that in my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a...

First of all, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate all the work that's gone into getting to this milestone of 150 episodes of Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In past solos, I've talked about courage, doing what others won't do, energy, and making decisions.If you're not familiar with what I do outside of this show, I work with business leaders and corporate teams, giving them tools and techniques so they can be more focused, resilient, and collaborative so they can manage the distractions in their heads that keep them from being as productive as they'd like and move projects forward with less stress and drama.One of those techniques is meditation - but there's often a lot of resistance around meditation, what it is, how to do it, etc.There are many benefits, not least of which is meditation can decrease anxiety, it builds resilience. You'll spend less time stuck in mulling over past mistakes and worrying about what might happen tomorrow. In fact, a study at the University of Western Ontario followed an 8-week mindfulness program. Results showed participants experienced a 32% decrease in stress, a 30% decrease in anxiety and a 29% decrease in depression.Tune in to this special episode and discover for yourself:✅ When you can expect to see results from meditation✅ The best time of day to meditate and how to use it to set yourself up to be more efficient and successful✅ How you can easily make meditation a habit✅ And much, much more packed into this powerful 23-minute episode!This episode comes with a bonus called “Meditation: Clearing Anxiety” which is posted separately as a bonus episode.Resources:My Website: https://ZenRabbit.com/ LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/ Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/ Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/Invitation from Lori:Much of what I included here comes from my digital Staying Calm in Chaos program. If you'd like to get access to the entire program, where there's a whole bunch more tools and techniques beyond meditation, you can find it at https://www.stayingcalminchaos.com/sp. It's time to step out of the clusterf*ck... of fear, regret, and disappointment, and into a place of peace and contentment!

This meditation is designed to clear stress and anxiety so you can feel grounded and safe in this moment. Sometimes anxiety can spin you into a frenzy. Worrisome thoughts get stuck playing on an endless loop through your mind. It doesn't feel good and it doesn't serve you in any useful way. Use this one to bring yourself back to tranquility, serenity, and calm.Music credits: ©2017 Rebecca Reads Recordings Root Chakra Singing Bowls Note C

In almost all of my episodes on Fine is a 4-Letter Word, I deal in varying degrees with the circles of life.In two of the themes I explore with my guests – the values and beliefs they were raised with, and the moment in their life when they realized or found out that everything wasn't “fine” – we see how these themes come together. And see where some of the conscious as well as the subconscious imprints either trigger the latter and/or blaze the trail for self-discovery, self-improvement, and self-actualization.For the first time, I have a returning guest, Christina Robinson Race, who joined me 105 episodes ago for a conversation called “Lighting a Candle & Letting It Go”.For a quick recap: Christina was raised in an abusive home and when she was sexually abused by a neighbor, got shut down by her covert narcissist mother who didn't want to deal with it. There was no trust and no communication. During our conversation, we delved into how Christina and her husband had applied lessons from their upbringings in efforts to be better parents to their children, and how her desire to be an available, accessible parent had influenced her career path.Today, we pick up with what's happened since that episode. It's been interesting to say the least, but it definitely hasn't been “fine.”The day we sat down for our update, Christina had just – and I mean within the couple days preceding – gotten out of surgery, packed up her house in Tennessee, and moved to Illinois to live with her now ex-husband, who in the intervening time had left her after having an affair with a younger colleague.Christina's children are coming along – her son is in the military, and one of her daughters is now starting as a teacher in a summer school.The biggest challenges Christina has been working to overcome is having limited social interaction as an extrovert, taking things day-by-day as a person who was so organized she would have color-coded charts planning things out months in advance, and finding out that even when your children are grown, not only do you continue being a parent, but it takes on new and interesting forms!Most people fear change, even positive change, because it involves the unknown. That's why we settle for less, conform to others' expectations, wonder how we became clones of our parents when we swore that would never happen, and stunt our own growth as human beings.In a moment, when you meet Christina, or reconnect with her as the case may be, I invite you to open your mind and your heart as you prepare to discover answers to questions you didn't even know to ask. Then be sure to stick around for the MANY takeaways, because there are some extremely powerful lessons here.Christina's hype song is "Brand New Me" by Alicia Keys.Resources:Christina Robinson Race's websites: https://christinarobinsonrace.com/ and https://www.epremium.com/ Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crrace/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisraceAlso check out Christina's previous episode, Lighting a Candle & Letting It Go.Invitation from Lori:Now, let me mention that...

Your life is a collage of all the experiences you have, people you meet, and what you learn along the way.Like many collages, even if they begin with a concept or a plan, as you bring them together they may take directions you hadn't anticipated and show you things even more interesting than what you originally expected.This was the case for Noemi Beres, whose professional work owning and managing a podcast booking agency involves helping people tell their stories and connecting them to hosts who provide the canvas for their verbal collage.Growing up as an only child in a small town in Hungary, Noemi had loving, supportive parents as well as an extended family who nurtured her spirit, helped her fulfill her dreams, and saw things in her that she could not see in herself.When Noemi started school, she was bullied by her classmates. Seeing that Noemi needed something bigger than that little school and town, her parents encouraged her to study abroad for a year in Denmark. After she came back to Hungary, locals barely recognized Noemi – she had become a different person.The foundation was a level of confidence and clarity far beyond most young women her age. As she began her university studies, she fell in love with and quickly married a young man from her hometown. All these years later, they're still married and going strong, so everything looks fine in that department.Noemi finished college, moved to Ireland, and started her career and her family. She and her husband discovered their love of entrepreneurship and built a business together. They built a family when their son was born. And when they decided they preferred a Mediterranean climate, they moved to Cyprus and started their life there. Yep, everything's fine there too.But that word… “fine”… Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Just when everything seemed to be going well, Noemi's father was diagnosed with cancer. He was given a six-month prognosis, but beat the odds and lived two years, passing away in 2019. A few months after that, her paternal grandmother suffered an injury and died as a result. A few months after that, the pandemic hit and Noemi and her husband lost their business and found themselves starting over professionally.In the midst of all this grief, Noemi reconnected with her flair for art. She had begun weaving collages while sitting with her sick father. This passion took on a life of its own and she now incorporates her love of photography, as she creates collages using family photos with pictures she takes.In a moment, when you meet Noemi, you'll see how all the threads of her life experience come together as she plans to publish a book of collages and participate in a very unique pilgrimage!Noemi's hype song is "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters.Resources:Noemi Beres' website: https://www.podcastconnections.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noemiberes/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noemi.beres Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noemi_beres_/Invitation from Lori:Now, let me mention that in my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a...

Having compassion for people is generally considered a good thing and a sign that you're a decent and kind person who makes an effort to make the world a better place by being part of it.Raised in a religious household, Tara LaFon Gooch learned the value of love and kindness towards others. However, she struggled to extend that same love and compassion to herself.She came from a home with an abusive, toxic father who disappeared from the picture just when she was beginning to discover the meaning of life from an adult perspective, and she hasn't seen him since she was 14. You see already the conflict in energies and values.Confidence was a major issue for Tara, and in so many ways she was down on herself. On March 16, 2022, she found herself sitting alone in her garage, having just quit a job that featured a highly toxic work environment, contemplating ending her life. How had everything gone so wrong? Why doesn't it ever get any better? “If I have a purpose, let me know. If there's anybody that can hear me, just let me know,” she cried.Things were not fine at all – and Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Then she heard a voice in her mind that said, “Your life has meaning but you need to give more.” After hearing that message, Tara discovered some powerful lessons.One of them was giving yourself radical permission to accept that your memories of past experiences and traumas are YOUR memories – and the simple fact that they may not actually be exactly what happened does not make them less real. Reframing negative experiences can lead to personal growth.Also, when you have conditions like Tara's - major depressive disorder and anxiety - you find yourself crying in the shower, screaming into the void, wondering what's wrong with you and why it has to be this way. Treatments usually involve years of therapy, often combined with medications that make you feel worse, not better.But then she found a treatment that costs nothing, yet rewires neural pathways and increases dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain.In a moment, when you meet Tara, you'll learn all about this “wonder drug”.Tara's hype song is “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.Resources:Tara LaFon Gooch's website: https://taralafongooch.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-lafon-gooch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tara.lafon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralafongooch/X: https://x.com/Taralafongooch Watch Tara LaFon Gooch's TedX Talk now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuq-HJb_Qds Invitation from Lori: In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you can discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes. Even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once you read it, you'll ✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to...

Picture yourself living what seems like a regular life as a parent and entrepreneur, where everything seems uneventful and you have every reason to expect the rest of your life to follow a pretty straightforward path. You know, everything's FINE.Then, one day you go to pick up your kids from school and all of a sudden you're seeing double.Next thing you know, your life has been turned completely upside-down, your legs are numb and you're sitting in a wheelchair.In what version of reality could you picture yourself becoming an Olympic weightlifter just five years later?This is Kim Rahir's story of how Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Fortunately, she was raised with two values that would support her through her unexpected midlife journey – always be ready to show up and perform, and conscientiously show respect for people and take them as you find them.Along with these values, she became a person who did not wallow in self-pity or claim victimhood status. There was no asking “why me?” when faced with adversity.When she first started seeing double that day when she was 45 and picking her kids up from school, her doctor suggested she might be experiencing a cerebral hemorrhage and urged her to hail the next taxi to the hospital. After a long series of tests combined with the onset of additional health issues, it eventually became apparent she had Multiple Sclerosis (MS).Now wait – five years later she was at the gym training to become an Olympic-level weightlifter?As you're about to discover, her doctor discouraged her from doing it in a way that indicated he didn't want to be involved. She was told to take all sorts of injections that made her feel worse, and ultimately traded them in for some ibuprofen. All of it made her feel disrespected, and she had to find a way to reclaim her power.This isn't the outcome you'd imagine for someone who has Multiple Sclerosis - nor would you picture her becoming a fitness coach helping women feel fabulous doing 15 minutes of work each day.In a moment, when you meet Kim, you'll be awestruck by her comeback story.Kim's hype song is “Far From Over” by Frank Stallone.Resources:Kim Rahir's website: https://kimrahir.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-rahir/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kim.rahir/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kim.rahir/ Take Kim Rahir's free Strength and Health Assessment today to find out exactly where you are at and what will be your best next steps: https://link.roasmail.com/widget/survey/GiXtvmtUw9cHkOlCRRLG Invitation from Lori:In my special guide, 5 Easy Ways to Start Living the Sabbatical Life, you'll discover, step-by-step, how you can stop settling for “fine” and look at your life with a fresh set of eyes even if, like many people in today's high-speed world, you're not in a position to take a month or year-long sabbatical. You know how you normally hear the disclaimer “Don't try this at home!” In this case, you CAN try this at home. And not just “try,” DO. Once you read it, you'll ✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.✅ Learn how to own your...

Here's a challenge for you: ask your social media followers if they believe money can buy happiness or bring it up at your next social gathering and watch people fight it out.Some say you can; some say you can't; others say that money cannot buy happiness like getting a box of happiness at the store, but it solves problems and greases the wheels that make happiness possible and attainable.But what if you've been looking at it in the completely wrong way?Growing up the daughter of a German immigrant father and a mother whose parents came from Norway, Susan Glusica was raised with what she calls Northern European mores, values, and habits. Like so many of my guests, she was raised with a strong work ethic but lacked emotional nurturing, which influenced her professional and personal relationships.Out of college, she started on Wall Street and eventually transitioning to financial advising. Her career went well; she moved from one job to another without ever posting a resume. Susan's values surrounding hard work got her noticed for doing the work of three people, which brought prospective employers calling her, rather than vice versa.Her husband was also getting his career going, and everything seemed fine, but you know what comes next – Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Susan felt that while she enjoyed her work and was very good at it, she wasn't creating a legacy for herself. So she started her own business, which she planned to make wildly successful by compressing ten years of development into one. While she built the business, her husband landed a great job so he could take over as breadwinner for a while. Then the Great Recession hit and he lost his job. Crushed by the burden of debts she had hidden from her husband and unexpected medical expenses, she filed for bankruptcy. Yes – the financial wizard who helped others create wealth filed for bankruptcy.But then a few years later, she discovered the seven energetic levels of money consciousness. Coming to understand the power of frequency and vibration, and discovering new terminology to replace the entire “money buys happiness” riddle, have since enabled Susan and her husband to create what some would consider an opulent lifestyle. If you, like so many, are struggling with money, this episode is a must-hear.Susan's hype song is “Soak Up the Sun” by Sheryl Crow.Resources:Susan Glusica's website: https://susanglusica.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanglusica/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanDGlusica Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneyenergymastery/ Claim your free copy of “7 Prosperity Keys to Bring in More Money with Ease”: https://susanglusica.com/ Invitation from Lori:Now, if like Susan was, you're feeling like an imposter claiming you can help other succeed at something you failed at, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide could be the fresh-eyes look that changes your outlook.Once you read it, you'll ✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and...

When you hear the word “perfectionist”, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of yourself?Typically, it's someone who holds themselves to impossibly and unachievably high standards, driven by fear of real or imagined consequences if they don't get it (whatever “it” is) exactly right. Because perfect is rarely possible, they never “measure up,” and they get discouraged and burn out. They've given away all their f**ks and feel like they never got any results or recognition for all their work, so they stop caring altogether.To say the least, that makes them unproductive – which is exactly what Kathryn Mayer is here to change.Kathryn was raised by a father who was a neurologist and a professor who taught her that your identity comes from the work you do and a homemaker mother who passed on perfectionism – that you have to work hard and if you're going to do something, you must do it well or not at all.As a child, Kathryn tried ballet and wasn't good at it, then gymnastics which didn't work out because she was too tall. Then she discovered tennis, which she enjoyed and showed real aptitude for. So, her mother put Kathryn in private lessons and then, because they were spending money on the lessons, she had to compete in tournaments.Until she was 14, she did well in singles tournaments due to her height advantage over opponents her age, but then the other girls caught up in height. So, she switched to doubles, which she was also good at, but she lost her joy for tennis and quit. When Kathryn went to college, she was Dean's List level, but she graduated with no idea what to do as a career! So she hired a career coach, which began a three-year process of discovery that included mapping out a forty (yes, four-oh) year plan. Meanwhile, she went through five careers by the time she was 26 before landing what she thought would be her dream job in New York City.The following years would see her try more careers, plus take a biking vacation with her husband to Cambodia. It was that trip where it struck her that it was actually okay if she rode in the van instead of fighting to ride her bike over the bad roads. It was okay to not do the thing she thought she was “supposed” to do. Back home, she was “shoulding” all over herself, her career, and her life – which reminds me of the conversation back in episode 2 with Dara Goldberg where we talked about “shedding the shoulds.” Finally, she had a boss who told her to lighten up because she was constantly frustrated. When his message didn't get through, he pulled her aside and asked her a curious question: “Why don't you try going to clown school?”In a moment, when you meet Kathryn, you'll see how all these threads came together and inspired her to mesh productivity with perfectionism. If you feel like you're just not hacking it, this show is for you.Kathryn's hype song is “I'm Coming Out” by Diana Ross.Resources:Kathyrn Mayer's website: https://www.kcmayer.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryncmayer/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCMConsulting/ X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/GrandSlamCoach Claim your copy of “The Productive Perfectionist: