Mentors and Moguls Podcast

Dr. Susanna Søberg is the founder of "Soeberg Institute" and "The Thermalist cure". Susanna is a leading international scientist and expert in cold and heat therapy to reduce stress and improve health, sleep and to optimize performance.  

She uses science-based tools as the basis for her health programs. As an Oxygen Advantage Instructor, she is a certified breathing instructor and uses functional breathing techniques to empower people to get the best out of their lives. The science behind the positive effects of functional breathing is profound and proven to be fundamental to our health and performance - at work and in sport.
    Susanna obtained her PhD in metabolism at The University of Copenhagen and has contributed to a deeper understanding of our metabolism - brown fat in specific - and its purpose in adults. Since 2016 she has been dedicated to research into the effect of cold and heat exposure on human health. Her interest continues to focus on the connection between our physical and mental health.

Based on the depth of her scientific research and experience, Susanna has developed her programs with the aim of lowering stress, improving sleep, and increasing physical and mental health. Her programs are all science based with the purpose of avoiding burn-out, achieving the highest level of performance.     In 2019 she published her debut book "Winter swimming" - a motivational book, where she described the many scientific proven benefits about cold water immersion and sauna - told in an easy every-day language. "Winter swimming" is now published in 13 languages.        In this episode, we talk about:   ▶︎ Her debut book “Winter Swimming”  ▶︎ The benefits of developing brown fat to burn calories  ▶︎ The health benefits of cold plunging  ▶︎ And So Much More...    Website:    https://www.soeberginstitute.com    Social Media:    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-1TYzQYwDRy2GMsu8F2dw  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanna_soeberg/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susannasoeberg  Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusannaSberg1         → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ←     ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrstoneofficial/  ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRStoneOfficial  ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/       ABOUT HEATHER STONE:   Heather R. Stone is a motivational speaker and former fintech executive. She is also the host of the Mentors & Moguls podcast (@mentorsandmogulspodcast) where professionals share their strategies for success and secret formulas for turning their passions into dream careers. One of Heather's passions has always been mentorship for women which led her to create the Podcast to provide a platform for successful CEOs, entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, artists, and creatives to share their stories and offer access to their valuable mentoring & advice for goal-oriented individuals. Heather continues to expand her mission to empower others through speaking engagements, mentoring, and full immersion adventures and retreats that are designed to help women step out of their comfort zones and understand that they are capable of just about anything. 

Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, M.S., N.D., is a board-certified naturopathic physician, nutrition expert, and resident health authority on numerous TV programs including Good Morning America, The Talk and Good Day LA. As well as a regular contributor to publications like USA Today, Forbes and Bloomberg.   Dr. Kellyann is recognized as the originator of the Bone Broth Lifestyle. She is the author of 10 books translated into 9 languages, including her 2022 book, The Bone Broth Breakthrough and 2015 book, Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet, which became a New York Times best-seller. She holds a D.O. from Logan University and a Master of Science from St. Joseph's University. She is certified in biological medicine, by the esteemed Dr. Thomas Rau of the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland through the Marion Foundation.   Dr. Kellyann has transformed the health of hundreds of thousands of people with her life-changing brand, bestselling books, and media appearances. Her new book The Bone Broth Breakthrough is out December 27.   In this episode, we talk about:   ▶︎ Dr. Kellyann's new book “The Bone Broth Breakthrough” ▶︎ The importance of Mitochondrial care and its impact on our energy levels ▶︎ The health benefits of drinking bone broth every day ▶︎ And So Much More...   Social Media https://www.instagram.com/drkellyannpetrucci/ Website: https://drkellyann.com

Robin Hoffman Haack, Founder of the Lovlei brand shares her decades of family experience in the textile industry and how that launched her into her own activewear brand. She gives practical advice to listeners looking to follow their own dreams.   In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ Staying motivated and finding joy in everything you do ▶︎ The importance of finding a mentor when you are starting a new venture ▶︎ Family brand legacy and the value of branching out on your own ▶︎ And So Much More...   Lovlei Brand https://lovlei.com Social Media https://www.instagram.com/lovleilife/ Hoffman California Fabrics https://hoffmancaliforniafabrics.net   → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ← ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8p... ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrsto... ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRSton... ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/  

In today's episode, New York Times Bestselling Author & Financial Expert, Rachel Cruze joins the show to discuss winning with money. She's the daughter of financial advisor and radio personality, Dave Ramsey, and has a lifetime of knowledge in finance and budgeting. Many people assume if they're not smart enough or good at math, then they won't be able to handle money well. The reality is winning with money is about 80% behavior and 20% knowledge. There is a bit of nuance with investing and other more in-depth pieces, but in a lot of ways, the basics of personal finance is just common sense.    Listen now for Rachel's wisdom and more on how to win with money!   In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ Why doing a monthly budget is key ▶︎ How to prepare for an economic recession ▶︎ Retirement and ensuring all your debts are paid off ▶︎ And So Much More...   The Rachel Cruze Show https://www.ramseysolutions.com/rachel-cruze   Website https://www.ramseysolutions.com/rachel-cruze   Social Media https://www.instagram.com/rachelcruze/ https://www.facebook.com/rachelramseycruze https://twitter.com/RachelCruze       → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ← ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8p... ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrsto... ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRSton... ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/   ABOUT HEATHER STONE: Heather R. Stone is a motivational speaker and former fintech executive. She is also the host of the Mentors & Moguls podcast (@mentorsandmogulspodcast) where professionals share their strategies for success and secret formulas for turning their passions into dream careers. One of Heather's passions has always been mentorship for women which led her to create the Podcast to provide a platform for successful CEOs, entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, artists, and creatives to share their stories and offer access to their valuable mentoring & advice for goal-oriented individuals. Heather continues to expand her mission to empower others through speaking engagements, mentoring, and full immersion adventures and retreats that are designed to help women step out of their comfort zones and understand that they are capable of just about anything.

Speaker, Author and Founder of the Pajama Program, Genevieve Piturro was a successful television marketing executive in New York City for twenty years when a little girl's question changed the course of her life forever.  She jumped off the corporate ladder and began delivering pajamas and books to children in shelters and in 2001 founded the Pajama Program, a non-profit which has been recognized nationwide for both its success and Genevieve's story.   She has learned that everything begins when we find purpose in our lives. So many of us are re-evaluating our paths because we want more fulfillment. We want the work we do and the people we do it with to make a difference in this world. This kind of thinking can transform how you do your job, how office teams work together, and how leaders at every level lead.    For those looking for what to do and how to find the right path, Genevieve says to take it one step at a time. Ask everyone who knows more than you for their advice and take things one step at a time. She also says to listen to your “aha moments” and those will help direct you towards your purpose. In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ Finding purpose   ▶︎ Listening to your intuition and “aha moments” in your life to guide you ▶︎  How to make the business side of a nonprofit organization work ▶︎ And So Much More... Links: https://www.genevievepiturro.com/ https://www.instagram.com/genevievepiturro/ https://pajamaprogram.org/    → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ←   ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8p... ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrsto... ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRSton... ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/   ABOUT HEATHER STONE: Heather R. Stone is a motivational speaker and former fintech executive. She is also the host of the Mentors & Moguls podcast (@mentorsandmogulspodcast) where professionals share their strategies for success and secret formulas for turning their passions into dream careers. One of Heather's passions has always been mentorship for women which led her to create the Podcast to provide a platform for successful CEOs, entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, artists, and creatives to share their stories and offer access to their valuable mentoring & advice for goal-oriented individuals. Heather continues to expand her mission to empower others through speaking engagements, mentoring, and full immersion adventures and retreats that are designed to help women step out of their comfort zones and understand that they are capable of just about anything.  

Nicole Meier is a contemporary women's fiction author, mentor, book coach and teacher for female authors of all ages. Nicole has written several books: The House of Bradbury, The Girl Made of Clay and The Second Chance Supper Club. Nicole shares her pathway to becoming a successful author starting with her original intention and how she turned her passion into a multi-book publishing deal. She speaks in depth about the necessity to take the time, exercise discipline and stand by your gut as you pursue your dream of becoming a published author. Nicole breaks down what can be an overwhelming process into 5 easy steps to help the emerging author of tomorrow. In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ Surrounding yourself with people with the same mindset who are trying and failing and learning as a tool to help you find your own path to success. ▶︎ Nicole's process for writing ▶︎ The value of developing a community of other writers around you to offer advice, support, and honest feedback ▶︎ And So Much More...   Connect with Nicole: https://www.nicolemeierauthor.com/ https://www.facebook.com/nicolemeierwrites/ https://www.instagram.com/nicolemeierwrites/     → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ← ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8p... ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrsto... ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRSton... ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/   ABOUT HEATHER STONE: Heather R. Stone is a motivational speaker and former fintech executive. She is also the host of the Mentors & Moguls podcast (@mentorsandmogulspodcast) where professionals share their strategies for success and secret formulas for turning their passions into dream careers. One of Heather's passions has always been mentorship for women which led her to create the Podcast to provide a platform for successful CEOs, entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, artists, and creatives to share their stories and offer access to their valuable mentoring & advice for goal-oriented individuals. Heather continues to expand her mission to empower others through speaking engagements, mentoring, and full immersion adventures and retreats that are designed to help women step out of their comfort zones and understand that they are capable of just about anything.   

Elinor Tatum, Publisher, and Editor in Chief of the New York Amsterdam News, discusses her journey into publishing while persevering through a learning disability.  She has an extensive biography with numerous awards and has appeared on WNBC evening news, ARISE, The O'Reilly Factor, 20/20, New York 1, CUNY TV, the Today Show, and NBC Nightly News.  She is an activist, successful businesswoman, a mother and a shining example of a woman who overcame challenges to become one of the youngest publishers in the history of African American press.    In this episode, we talk about:   ▶︎ Persevering despite a learning disability ▶︎ The value of learning to speak up for yourself ▶︎ The importance of surrounding yourself with people who want to help you ▶︎ And So Much More...   → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ←   ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8p... ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrsto... ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRSton... ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/

In this interview, Michele Romanello discusses her pathway to becoming a successful senior sales rep. She shares valuable tips on how to master a sale and close the deal and how to overcome the disappointments along the way. From Cisco to Salesforce, Michele offers up useful advice for any salesperson considering a career in sales along with insights into managing a fulfilling career.     In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ The key to a great sale ▶︎ How to approach a pitch ▶︎ Lessons from the failures ▶︎ How to reset to maintain a work life balance ▶︎ And So Much More...   Connect with Michele Romanello:   ▶︎ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-romanello-558a254/   → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ←   ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8p... ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrsto... ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRSton... ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/   ABOUT HEATHER STONE: Heather R. Stone is a motivational speaker and former fintech executive. She is also the host of the Mentors & Moguls podcast (@mentorsandmogulspodcast) where professionals share their strategies for success and secret formulas for turning their passions into dream careers.   One of Heather's passions has always been mentorship for women which led her to create the Podcast to provide a platform for successful CEOs, entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, artists, and creatives to share their stories and offer access to their valuable mentoring & advice for goal-oriented individuals.   Heather continues to expand her mission to empower others through speaking engagements, mentoring, and full immersion adventures and retreats that are designed to help women step out of their comfort zones and understand that they are capable of just about anything.  

Linda Ensko, Founder of one of the leading early childhood development pre-schools in Tribecca NY, Buckle My Shoe, shares her best advice on early childhood development.   In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ The importance of a different approach for early childhood development ▶︎ Why you should think twice about introducing technology to your child before a certain age ▶︎ What type of environment will help your child thrive ▶︎ Four key elements you can use at home to help your child learn and thrive ▶︎ And So Much More...   Connect with Linda and learn more about Buckle My Shoe Pre-School: ▶︎ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-ensko-a12414137/ ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://www.bucklemyshoe.org   Things you'll learn Linda gives listeners an inside look into her knowledge and experience of early childhood education, and how that led her to opening up her own school that fosters learning in an alternative setting. Listen now for more on childhood education and what you can do to foster learning in your kids.

This week on the Mentors & Moguls Podcast, I have YouTube's Breck Johnson.  Brecky Breck is a children's education and entertainment channel that produces videos to inspire and encourage kids and families to try new experiences through events, activities, tours, and hands-on learning. Breck Johnson, the face of Brecky Breck, is a 30-year-old wife and mother of 4. She's passionate about using fun and exciting experiences to encourage little ones to be imaginative, creative, and cultivate a LOVE of learning!     In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ Cultivating a love of learning with your toddler online ▶︎ The importance of safe online learning content for toddlers ▶︎ Creating a YouTube channel from scratch ▶︎ Monetizing content on YouTube ▶︎ And So Much More...   You can find Brecky Breck on   ▶︎ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/breckybreck/ ▶︎ INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/brecky.breck ▶︎ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/BreckyBreck   → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ←   ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8pc0vPKZu-P8FhqFcU-xA ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrstoneofficial/ ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRStoneOfficial/ ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/

Austyn is an author, spiritual medium, and soul gardener who mentors spiritually seeking individuals to cultivate their intuition, heal their hearts and connect with the Divine.    She has presented and educated for such organizations as the California Spiritualist Association, Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. in Virginia Beach, Gilchrist Hospice Care, and the Afterlife Conference, for which she was a board member for eight years.  She will be featured in Bill Bennet's 2023 documentary Facing Fear along with Dr. Joe Dispenza, Paul Selig, and Dr. Bruce Lipton.   Her book Soul Conversations: A Medium Reveals How to Cultivate Your Intuition, Heal Your Heart, and Connect with the Divine is the recipient of two C.O.V.R. medals, as well as receiving the gold medal from the Nautilus Book Awards.   In this episode, we talk about: ▶︎ The importance of listening to your intuition ▶︎ The benefits of leaning on your intuition both at work and at home ▶︎ She offers tips on how to recognize intuition & trust it when making important life decisions ▶︎ Austyn gives us a rare glimpse into the world of mediumship and how she uses her gift for good to help people recognize their path, delivers messages from loved ones and speaks to the issue of suicide. ▶︎ And So Much More...   You can learn more about Austyn at https://www.austynwells.com/ Connect with Austyn on Instagram - @austynwells   → → → CONNECT WITH HEATHER R. STONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ←   ▶︎ YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA8pc0vPKZu-P8FhqFcU-xA ▶︎ INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/heatherrstoneofficial/ ▶︎ FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherRStoneOfficial/ ▶︎ WEBSITE | https://heatherrstone.com/   ABOUT HEATHER STONE: Heather R. Stone is a motivational speaker and former fintech executive. She is also the host of the Mentors & Moguls podcast (@mentorsandmogulspodcast) where professionals share their strategies for success and secret formulas for turning their passions into dream careers.   One of Heather's passions has always been mentorship for women which led her to create the Podcast to provide a platform for successful CEOs, entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, artists, and creatives to share their stories and offer access to their valuable mentoring & advice for goal-oriented individuals.   Heather continues to expand her mission to empower others through speaking engagements, mentoring, and full immersion adventures and retreats that are designed to help women step out of their comfort zones and understand that they are capable of just about anything.  

In today's episode, Rory Vaden joins the show to discuss his journey to NY Times Bestseller and eight-figure entrepreneur. Rory is the ultimate success story, starting out in a trailer park in Boulder, CO, dreaming big and achieving success. He had to work hard to get scholarships to get into college, and his first job was in direct sales. It was then that he discovered that discipline creates freedom and unlocks the ability to do anything you set your mind to.    He decided on a whim to enter the World Championship of Public Speaking, thinking if he could win, it would launch his career into public speaking. He spoke 304 times for free, invested in coaches and classes, made it to the Championship, and lost. He went back in 2007, and came in second. He was at a conference a few weeks later when he met Zig Ziglar, who mentored him personally over the next year.   During that time, Rory started his first company. He met his business partner through a mutual friend and grew that business to eight figures over twelve years. He released his first book in 2012, Take the Stairs, which has lessons Rory learned from his mother that helped him reach success. He later fell in love with his business partner, AJ, and they got married. In 2018, they sold their company and now work with businesses to help them build and monetize their brands.    The key is to focus on how you're adding value to other people's lives. It's about finding your uniqueness and using it to provide a service to others. Everyone is out there trying to copy other people who are more successful than then, but there can only ever be one. They're already taken, so the best way to get to their level is by being yourself. When you're teaching what you know, it's never second hand, and that is powerful. People need real solutions to real problems, so you don't have to be the best person in the world. You just have to be able to do the job and do it well.    Personal branding is just the digitization of your reputation. Anyone who has a reputation needs to have a conversation around their personal branding. You need to ask yourself-- what problem do you solve? And if you can't answer that, there's no way anyone else can. And when you have diluted focus, you'll get diluted results. Links   https://heatherrstone.com/rejuvenate2023/ https://www.roryvaden.com https://www.instagram.com/roryvaden/ https://brandbuildersgroup.com   Things you'll learn   Rory's background and journey to success. Rory shares his story from life in a trailer park to Bestselling author and eight-figure entrepreneur. He offers listeners practical advice they can take with them to hone discipline and reach their dreams. 

In today's episode, Rajashree Choudhury joins the show to discuss yoga, meditation, and life-balance. She's the CEO and president of Lavanya Wellness, titled as Mrs. India, and has been practicing yoga since age four. Life comes with a lot of anxiety, and yoga is a way to bring balance and energy back to yourself. Doing yoga and meditation in the mornings can better equip you to deal with the stresses of daily life.    Anxiety builds up inside of us. If we're not finding a way to release the stress from life, at first, it might seem like we're strong. Eventually, it will catch up to us and that can leave us with a lot of physical, mental, and emotional health complications. Emotion is normal, but the energy within the family unit has to come together to solve any issues or it can cause bigger issues later. If you don't have that family support system, finding a friend to talk with or even a mentor can be a huge help.    Meditation isn't about solving all of your problems in one sitting. It's about opening up, connecting, and forming a deeper understanding of yourself. It's a long, ongoing process, but it's a liberating one that can give us self-confidence. Specifically, pregnancy is a very scary time for women, and when we internalize that fear and stress, we end up putting it on the baby. Rajashree encourages women who are pregnant to look into yoga classes for stress release, but also for exercise and support throughout their pregnancy.   Yoga is great for children, but depending on age, they sometimes struggle to understand the core concept of meditation and self-reflection. Rajashree's company works to bridge that gap to children. She also works to bring yoga to senior citizens because of the health benefits, mobility, and pain alleviation yoga has.    When we're nervous, we tend to move around, but stillness is the first thing you achieve. So when heading to a big interview or something that makes you very anxious, first try to be still and be at ease. It's okay to keep a little of that tension with you, because we don't want to be too over-confident and mess up. Then sit up straight, breathe slowly, and sit in that stillness. Listen now, get more yoga and meditation information, and check out Rajashree's retreats! Links   https://heatherrstone.com/rejuvenate2023/ https://rajashree.com Things you'll learn   Rajashree's background and expertise in yoga and meditation. Rajashree explains the many health benefits of yoga and meditation, how it can help with pregnancy, and the various retreats she offers to her clients. 

In today's episode, Carolyn Spector joins the show. Carolyn's motto is “Be relentlessly positive and manifest your vision into reality”. She is the CEO of Spector Philanthropic Advisors and has spent her life dedicated to others. Carolyn returns to the Mentors and Moguls podcast with an update on her story of positivity and manifestation.   Since the last time Carolyn was on the podcast, her whole life has changed and she hopes that sharing her story can continue to help others grow and find positive change. When COVID hit in 2020, the center where Carolyn worked was forced to close, she was already a single mom to her 15 year old daughter, and she was terrified of the unknown. She spent most of 2021 rededicating herself to taking care of herself.    Carolyn established for herself a “hierarchy of needs” to figure out what steps she needed to take and make the right decisions. She had moved to a friend's house on Cape Cod and then found a school for her daughter, found work she could do without going back to New York, and found a house. Even in moments of questioning and doubting what should happen, Carolyn has looked for signs and what feels led by love and that has always led to the right decisions.   In her year of taking care of herself, Carolyn built herself a home gym, worked on developing healthy eating habits with a nutritionist, and started dating again. She feels younger and more full of energy now and has found happiness and energy that is infectious (according to her friends).    It has only been in the last five years that Carolyn has been manifesting. She was sitting at home during the Jewish holidays, when you are supposed to set your intentions, and she decided that she was ready to work for what she wanted. Manifesting doesn't mean you don't have to work, it means you are focusing on doing the work for what you want.  Links   https://heatherrstone.com/rejuvenate2023/   https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynspector/  Things you'll learn   More about Carolyn's journey and growth through manifesting since her last interview on the Mentors and Moguls Podcast and how Carolyn has balanced manifesting with action and trusting her gut.  

If you've ever quit on yourself during a task, a challenge, or a mission, then you owe it to yourself to sit down and take a listen to my next guest. His challenging upbringing motivated him to seek refuge in the United States Marine Corp where he graduated number one in his class.  He then went on to work for martial arts actor, Chuck Norris who become a mentor and role model to him.  He's a world record holder, an extreme athlete and has an impressive history of completing extreme physical challenges, including running from Huntington beach, California to New York city at a marathon pace for 121 consecutive days setting the first ever stand-up paddleboard long distance world record by paddleboarding 1,250 miles from Oregon to Mexico in 93 days, a seven-time Muay Thai champion and that's just a few things that he's completed in the first part of his life.   Tom shares details from his childhood and why he has fought so hard to become the man he is today. He was removed from his home while his father had cancer, kidney disease and tuberculosis, and was very ill his entire life. His mother was mentally ill and was never available. When he was 12 years old, he was removed from his home by the state of California for child abuse and was put in a facility with 150 other kids where he suffered sexual abuse at the hands of some of the house parents.  At 17 he ran away from the facility and joined the United States Marine Corps where he learned leadership skills that would carry him through the rest of his life. After leaving the Marine Corps Tom started working for martial arts actor, Chuck Norris who was a great role model for Tom and eventually a great sparring partner.  Tom continued to have strong role models in his life, including Glenn McCusker, the owner and CEO of Viking Components, and his wife, April. The couple became friends and mentors to Jones when he became McCusker's bodyguard and personal trainer. They also showed Tom something he'd never seen before, a functional family where the parents and children are happy.   In 1998, Tom took a tour of Orangewood Children's Home and felt compelled to help the children's facility buy a playground. He decided that he was going to run from Oregon to Mexico on foot and stop at foster care facilities along the way to share his story to inspire people to give towards the playground. At that point he had a few fighting titles and felt that he could empower children who'd had a similar upbringing as him by sharing his own story of overcoming and encouraging them that they too could do anything they set their mind to.   It was at this time that Tom had an “aha” moment in his life. He had a revelation that his calling was to give and empower others. It was the first time in his life that he truly felt great about himself and what he did. He never felt great about beating people in the ring physically. But when he dedicated the playground, it was a wonderful, life changing experience.    To date, Tom has run 347 marathons for non-profits!  What keeps him motivated to finish those races?  He talks about the times that he has sat on the side of the road, crying his eyes out because his body is breaking down, he's exhausted, his toenails are falling off…But it is at those moments when he goes back to his “why.”  “Whatever your, why is, you've got to make sure that it's strong enough to drive you through the adversity of it all. You must accept the fact that life is inherently challenging and that's in my opinion, for a reason, it's to push us forward.”   When Tom was running for children's causes, he knew that there were children waiting ahead of him to hear his story. And he knew there were children behind him that were positively impacted from hearing his story, so he made a pact with himself to never quit on them. “I would quit on myself a million times over, but I wasn't going to quit on them.   When he's asked, “how do you do it” he shares his mental process when he agreed to do 76 consecutive marathons: He visualizes in his mind that he has completed the challenge. That he has already won in his mind. He uses as many other senses as possible as part of the process: For example: He would hear people cheering. He would see it, smell it, taste it, everything, to make it more real to his brain   Tom also talks about his daily dose of insight and inspiration.  His goal is to land little bits and pieces of the vast toolbox that he's accumulated. He has developed a sentinel in his mind that alerts him when he's starting to spiral downward. He explains that for him, thoughts become words, words, become actions, actions become habits. Instead of entertaining negative thoughts, he interjects with a power statement. He redirects into a positive mindset and then maintains that positive mindset.   Faith and patriotism have also played an important role in Tom's "Quitproof" mindset, carrying him through the heartbreak of having to shutter his thriving fitness center during COVID.  Tom talks about how he eventually ended up working in a shipyard for a year, scraping barnacles off the bottom of boats and repainting them. However, since he was the only veteran there, they had him put the flag up every morning and take it down every night. When he was putting the flag up every morning Tom would salute it and say a prayer that went something like this… “God, I know that you have something better planned for me then this, I know you do. But can we kind of hurry it up?" It was after this season of working in the shipyard that Tom got approached to do 76 consecutive marathons for United We Pledge to bring attention to their Liberty Village project.  United We Pledge's goal for the Liberty Village is to restore patriotism in the youth and citizens through educational programs that celebrate freedom, family, and faith.   Tom explains that for him, his gut, his mind, and his heart must be in alignment before he will say yes to a challenge or project.   When United We Pledge asked him to participate in the project, he first knew in his gut that he should say “yes” to the offer.  “My gut said, oh, go for it…do it!  And then suddenly, my heart was compelled. My heart was like, you got to do this. You're a Patriot. You've got to do this. And my mind was like, this makes sense. This is resounding. Yes. And my mouth was like, let's go for it. I'm in.” The culmination of 76 consecutive marathons took Tom 1,968 miles on foot from the American Village in Montevallo, Alabama, to the future site of the Liberty Village in Hurricane, UT.   Heather and Tom also discuss intuition and how it is one of the five mountains (physical, spiritual, mental, intuitional and Kokoro – heart, mind, spirit) that Tom embraces as it relates to his “Quitproof” mindset.  Part of embracing the five mountains is reconciling that setbacks are part of the process to success. They are on the path to success. There are bumps in the road, but Tom's mentality is that you must keep going because pain is only temporary.      Ultimately, Tom believes that his purpose is to be a guide and a mentor for other people to become the best integrated versions of themselves that they could possibly be.   Be on the lookout for upcoming Tom “Quitproof” Jones' projects: Hydrofoil board challenge – 1,000 miles in 10 days Tribute to turning 60 – Run 50 miles a day, for 50 consecutive days at 60 years old!   Connect with Tom: Website:  https://www.quitproof.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quitproof1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quitproof1/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2RX39JPaVsKePaXJPHJqQ/videos United We Pledge:  https://unitedwepledge.org

Do you have your eye on a leadership position in your organization or perhaps you're well on your way climbing up that ladder, but you could use a mentor. Maybe you could use someone to help you communicate your leadership style a little bit better. Well, you're in luck today. My special guest is Rose Fass. One of Forbes Top 10 Women Business Leaders in New York, the CEO and founder of Fass Forward where her firm has been awarded the Inc. 500/5000 for three consecutive years. She has been a guest on CNBC is quoted in several bestselling business books and is the author of the Chocolate Conversation, Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business, with her second book launching this year, The Leadership Conversation – Make Bold Change, One Conversation at a Time.   Fass Forward is a consulting group wherein everyone who participates within the Fass Forward family or tribe is both a career corporate person who has become a consultant and is now able to do both the training, coaching, all the different things Fass Forward has to offer.  The key ingredient that separates Fass Forward from other consulting groups is that they don't hire any career consultants because they want individuals on their team who have actually been on the firing line, know what it's like to have to go into a quarterly business review or deal with a PNL, or engineers that are late delivering a product or any number of things that go on in business.   The Mission of Fass Forward is to help leaders not just communicate, but also translate.  Translate strategy into purposeful goals that allow people to not only execute on something that's going to be good for the business, but hopefully something that's going to be good for society.   At 73, years old, Rose has been in the business for 52 years.  Over the last 35 years she has been in executive positions in fortune 100 companies. She's learned that “no matter how hard we try our institutions for some reason or another seem to fail us in terms of giving people a sense of security, a sense of safety, a sense of realizing that we're being honest and integrous and life is going to be, at least if it's messy, it'll be honest.”   She had an epiphany, 21 years ago that maybe the last value-added space was going to be business and that she would have an opportunity to uniquely impact the world. Her partner, Gavin McMahon, who's a classically trained engineer and Rose decided to look at three things that they could work on to bring value to the leadership space. One is leadership in and of itself. What does it mean to be a leader to storytelling? How do you take what it is you want people to do?  And also coaching, one-on-one opportunities for them to work with executives and leaders at all levels to help them move past their fears, push past their idiosyncrasies and begin to develop the capability of being a really good strong leader.   Rose believes that there are both natural born leaders and then there are those people that aspire to be good leaders that are outstanding at work and functional expertise management. At Fass Forward, Rose and her team work really hard at finding the natural inflection points that every human being has, that juices, that, that gets them excited. That then becomes the platform for whatever your leadership style moment is going to be.Rose believes that you can train people on certain techniques, but for the most part, you still must go with the natural DNA of an individual.   All leadership happens in the conversation, whether it's through an email, a text, face-to-face or a zoom meeting. And it's what you say and what you don't say that communicates to every person that you speak to. Rose often tells her C level executives, when she's in a coaching relationship, “there are no casual conversations. Once you become the CEO, you can't just do a flyby. People take it too seriously. The conversations that we have with ourselves, it begins there. What are we telling ourselves?”   Rose is the daughter of a Marine, who taught her that she needed to be up at 6am, ready for company. Through her life she has had the great opportunity build confidence. Rose always says to people, we're born into the world with our brilliance and our muddy shoes and if we understand that we can be great leaders, because leadership is messy. The first thing that Rose asks anybody who wants to be a leader is “are you willing to be messy?” Because if perfection is the goal, it's not going to happen.  Leadership is not something you plan for; it happens in the moment.   Helpful Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosefass/ https://twitter.com/fassforward https://www.fassforward.com    

My very special guest today is Anthony, Tomey. Anthony is a full-time entrepreneur, a former professional baseball player with the Detroit Tigers organization and now truly one of the largest franchise owners of Jimmy John's, The Chicken Guy and also a Real Estate Developer.  Additionally, he is the owner of 8 Mile Vodka - a Vodka that took home the awards for Best in Class: Vodka and Best of Class: Overall Vodka at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. I sat down with Anthony to talk about how he transitioned from pitching on the baseball diamond to pitching in the boardroom and hitting home runs every time!   Anthony shares how he gets the inspiration to “win at all costs” from his dad. His dad came to the United States, Ellis Island, at 25 years old and with $20.00 in his pocket.  Though he didn't speak English, he managed to put himself through college and earned a master's degree, all while working as a busboy at the London Chophouse in Detroit.  Anthony's goal from a young age was to earn a full ride scholarship to thank his father who had paid for a private Catholic school education.    As a baseball player, Anthony loved the pressure of the game.  He was a closer, a last inning pitcher, and thrived in the bases loaded, no one out scenarios.  It was the thrill of the competition that motivated him. He also talks about how humbling it was to go from being the #1 pitcher in college to the majors where everyone was on a level playing field with every guy being the #1 player where they came from.  Baseball taught him that no matter what happens, you're going to fail.  You have to pick yourself up and get back out there.     In the spring of 2003, Anthony Tomey was playing baseball at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. His family came to see him play, and after the game they headed to a sub shop down the street. The place had a line of 20 people stretching outside of the door. At first the family took this as a bad sign, but a member of staff told them to stick around. In less than five minutes, their food was in their hands. This was a defining moment, as they all were amazed at the speed and efficiency with which this business operated. Just a few months later, five like-minded Tomey family members, Fawzi, Tony, Anthony, Christine, and Michael, opened a Jimmy John's of their own in Novi, Michigan.   In 2003, the Tomey Group LLC was founded as a means to grow a brand the partners loved, and to bring the same expansion to brands throughout the country. As of May 2019, the Tomey Group has bought and opened more than 50 Jimmy John's locations throughout the Detroit Metro area.   Anthony is not your average franchise owner. Sitting back and delegating tasks from afar isn't his style. Instead, he is hands-on involved in all aspects of the business, from preparing sandwiches to making deliveries.  He is committed to providing employees with what they need and deserve, no matter what that looks like. He knows his employees' names, how they work, and what makes them tick.     Just over a year ago, Anthony and his brother had an opportunity to buy a vodka company. 8 Mile Vodka, and an apparel company, Born in Detroit became their next financial endeavor. They currently oversee operations and have had great success, partnering with the Detroit Pistons with both companies, while getting into every Meijer in Michigan with 8 Mile. Additionally, 8 Mile Vodka just recently took home the awards for Best in Class: Vodka and Best of Class: Overall Vodka at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.    Recently Tomey Group signed a deal to become the newest franchisees of Chicken Guy, a new concept by Guy Fieri. It competes directly with Chick Fil A, and the Tomey Group bought the rights to southeast Michigan. Anthony truly believes that the harder you work, the luckier you get.  The opportunities that continue to present themselves to the Tomey group are a direct result of hard work and surrounding themselves with successful people.  Success attracts success.   The Tomey group continues to grow their empire and have added Real Estate to their growing portfolio.  With the recent purchase of a shopping plaza in White Lake MI 3 years ago, 4 apartment complexes throughout SE Detroit and a resort on Houghton Lake, there is no stopping this hard-working entrepreneur!   Helpful Links: Follow Anthony on social media:  Instagram: Anthony Tomey - @atomey53 8 Mile Vodka - @official8milevodka Born In Detroit - @officialbornindetriot Website: Tomey Group - https://tomeygroup.com

In this episode, I sit down with former pro and college football players, Charlie Batch, TJ Lang, and Brett Petersmark to discuss the big debate around NIL (name, image, and likeness) in NCAA sports. The NIL is an agreement set by the NCAA for student-athletes to have the right to monetize and profit from their brand, which consists of their name, image, and likeness. College athletes can sign sponsorship deals with corporate brands that charge money for autographs and even create their brand or an E-commerce site.  Inside of the discussion of the NIL, there are several smaller issues that exist, such as “Girls vs. Boys.” When it comes down to it, it is better for the girls because the funding for females is not equal to the males and thus NIL allows for opportunities to open up for females. Some of the issues are, for example, that if you get a sponsorship from a specific corporation, you can't show up wearing their brand. It's very difficult for athletes because they're not allowed to use one image or logo that everybody associates with you and their popularity and fame.  Additionally, TJ mentions that Universities have beer advertisers but restrict athletes from ever consuming it. The NCAA has no choice but to try to get involved and regulate it at some level. They always try to have this moral ground right where it's no gambling, no casinos, no liquor, no beverages, but pretty much every university has some sponsorship.  In regard to recruitment, there is a portal for recruiters where players can put their names in, and the recruiters can decide to recruit you. The system allows players to get one transfer without sitting out the rest of the season.  For Charlie, the NIL would have made his life much easier after high school and college. The paradigm shift wasn't about money because he could have decided based on how he was compensated. He says he would have been able to help his family financially. Charlie also identifies that there is a lot of a gray area in the recruitment aspects for bigger schools. Some athletes play for bigger schools and then transfer to minor schools because they want to pursue a specific academic program that the bigger school doesn't have. That is just one of the loopholes that is happening with universities right now.  TJ says the NIL will keep growing until something boils over.  Student-athletes could end up earning millions of dollars! Links: Charlie Batch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebatch/ https://www.instagram.com/charliebatch16/ TJ Lang: https://twitter.com/TJLang70 Brett Petersmark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-petersmark-89a257a/   Things you'll learn: How the NIL Agreement affect today's student-athletes What opportunities the NIL Agreement brings to student-athletes How the Recruitment Process for Student-Athletes has Evolved How student-athletes can take advantage of the NIL Agreement

In today's episode, Lisa Woodruff joins the show. Lisa is the Founder and CEO of Organized 365, which assists busy people in organizing their homes and papers with functional organizing systems that work. She is a productivity and home organizing expert. She motivates and teaches busy women to take back their lives with functional systems that will work for them. This conversation is packed with tricks, hacks, strategies, and proven systems on how we can organize our life and stop sabotaging ourselves from being a mess.   Lisa's aptitude for organization was evident as a child.  She loved to organize her mother's art supplies.  Lisa knew that her love for organization was unique, but she had no idea that organizing was a skill that could be learned. She assumed you either had it or didn't.   Lisa launched the blog Organized 365 because she thought it would be beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO), but she had no idea how to make money from it. She began writing about organization on her blog and 3 months later, Lisa became an in-home professional organizer who was paid to help individuals get organized. For 3 years, she has dabbled in home organizing and blogging.   In her first three years of business, Lisa had to get over a lot of limiting beliefs. One of them was that she was more valuable than her $15 rate to organize homes. So she changed her rate to $40. Then, for her second year, she charged $50 and added some people to the team. Five years later, when Lisa quit organizing, she was charging $75 an hour and she wasn't even organizing the home, she was just making the arrangements. It was a big deal for Lisa to realize that, as a woman, she could make more money and steer clear of the mindset that she needed to keep her business small.    Lisa shares three tips for organizing. First, do a time study on how long it takes to do the housework – cleaning your house, doing the laundry, preparing meals, maintaining your vehicle, organizing your finances, or paying your bills. All these things take a significant amount of time. Second, start organizing by looking around at what you have and reorganizing it or putting it where you need it in the house. You can also buy specific organizers to help you. Lastly, you can either choose to be a maximalist or a minimalist; it makes no difference. It's not the amount of stuff you have, it's the right amount of stuff for you.   Links   Website: https://organize365.com/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/organize-365-podcast/id915355770?mt=2 PEW research: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/03/14/chapter-6-time-in-work-and-leisure-patterns-by-gender-and-family-structure/ Launching Life Skills and Bundle Course: https://organize365.com/product/launching-life-skills-bundle     Things you'll learn This conversation is packed with tricks, hacks, strategies, and proven systems on how we can organize our life and stop sabotaging ourselves from being a mess.  

Today Heather is sitting down with Alicia Driskill - a visionary, a leader, and an expert connector. She is also a keynote speaker and a strategic advisor who is passionate about creating a more equitable future for all. She has, for over 20 years, enjoyed a diverse career in media and marketing, working with some of the world's most recognizable brands and thought leaders throughout her corporate career as an entrepreneur. Heather and Alicia will be talking about time management and how to be the CEO of your life.   Alicia gives tips and advice for people struggling with balance and time management while talking about how she sets up her own day as an example. She says that the biggest thing in approaching time management is taking a look at your priorities and really understanding what is the most important for you.    She makes sure to outline the three things she wants to get done today that will actually make a difference in her business and move things forward. And then making sure at the end of the day that you circle back to those things and set them up for the next day.   Alicia says that you must hold yourself accountable for work boundaries especially when you're so easily accessible to your co-workers. This needs to be done in order for you to focus and get your goals done.   It's very important that you know when to set time for yourself, Alicia says. In order to replenish your soul and your creative spirit, you must practice self-care and self-love.   She thinks that a lot of founders get stuck in the details that don't matter instead of focusing on the big picture. Alicia calls herself a recovering perfectionist because she immediately learned that being one is not going to allow her to scale and create the impact that she wanted.   Alicia has always been a big believer in taking risks. However, you need to be able to take a step back and start to recognize those signs where you're feeling overwhelmed. If you can learn from self-awareness, reflection, and understanding and start to feel and know what to look for, that would help out a lot because you can get ahead of it and fix it in the situation.   Links   https://www.evolveher.community https://www.instagram.com/evolveher https://www.instagram.com/alicia_driskill https://heatherrstone.com/podcast/drselene Things you'll learn   How to manage your time better Knowing your priorities How to be the CEO of your own life Setting boundaries to be more focused

In this episode I am joined by Ebony Walls. Ebony Walls is a certified Nonprofit Leader (CNP), Sports Philanthropist, and International Social Worker. She shares with us her unique career path, how she took the reins to carve out a career befitting her and how you can too! Many people don't know that Ebony has an invisible disability called Scoliosis. She has two-foot titanium rods fused to her spine. At the age of 12, doctors said that she would not amount to anything unless she got a good education. Ebony wasn't going to let the doctors define her so she charted her own course.  Heather calls Ebony the Happiness Ambassador. She has multiple passions and works professionally as an event fundraiser and sports philanthropist. It has been a blessing for her to combine all her passions and implement them in her daily work serving others. She is thankful to have the opportunity to be a servant to others every day and gets paid to do it.  “What is a Sports Philanthropist?” She assists corporations and high-value individuals in expanding their philanthropic portfolio or creating their philanthropic thumbprint. Ebony dreams of becoming the Oprah of Sports. She wants to be the person that connects the funds to the missions and be a human fiduciary. As a professional fundraiser Ebony serves as Chief Experience Officer of Be A Part of Me Consulting, LLC helping nonprofits and for-profits achieve their goals through event fundraising and various other services. Her service thumbprint includes serving as TedxDetroit Chapter's Director of Sponsorship, Eastern Michigan University's Alumni Board-President Elect, GameAbove EMU Board Member, EMU Foundation Board of Trustees, New Leaders Council (Detroit) 2021 Fellow and the W.I.S.E. Detroit (Women In Sports & Entertainment) Leader. She has a niche for connecting funders to the purposeful mission of nonprofits. Ebony tries to be the prayer she has always wanted to answer for herself. Whenever she meets individuals, she tells them she has a gift and a blessing. She is proud to say that she has never met a stranger in her life and can create a conversation with anyone about anything.  What's next for Ebony? She always takes the time to reflect and look back on her previous vision board and journals to know what she wants to achieve. Ebony has always wanted to be the best she could be in whatever work comes into her hand. She has adopted the mindset of wanting to be the best and the first in her work. Now, she wants to work at the highest level of sports and the highest level of entertainment.  In 2019, Ebony's life changed right before her eyes. She lost her job and doctors discovered a tumor, the size of a small egg which then grew to the size of a large lemon.  At that point, she had to make some major life-changing decisions, starting with the decision to have the tumor removed. Getting the tumor diagnosis gave her immense fear about what would happen next. To this day, she still gets emotional about it as she has lost her uncle, adopted mother, and godmother to cancer. Ebony says life doesn't always go how you want it to. “Adversity has happened to me. But one thing I do is remind myself that I'm here for a purpose. Whenever you get knocked down, that means there's just something greater on the other side of the fence.”  Tune in to follow along her amazing journey. For more information regarding event fundraising services please visit www.beapartofme.com Helpful Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebonylwalls/ https://www.instagram.com/ebonylwalls/ https://www.facebook.com/BeaPartOfMeConsulting/ Things you'll learn: Ebony's career as a Sports Philanthropist How Ebony overcame life-changing adversities Ebony's Trial to Triumph Journey in her Career How Ebony used her passions to get paid  

Today on the Mentors and Moguls Podcast with your host, Heather Stone, Heather is sitting down with Dr Selene Castrejon, a leading authority in all thing's med-spa, all things Botox, and all procedures you can find in a med spa today. They sit down to dispel myths and share best practices for all med spa procedures.    Dr Selene answers listener questions about Botox and procedures. She says right away that she is “Botox's biggest fan” and has been advocating preventative treatment since the early days of Botox use for aesthetic purposes. Especially with the younger generation's expressiveness, light Botox use can help to prevent wrinkles before they form.     “How often should you be getting Botox for preventative maintenance?”  Dr. Selene again says it's a bit more personal than a blanket rule. The company recommends every 3-4 months which depends on the dose. Dose = Duration so a stronger dose will last longer. A person's expressiveness, individual workload and activity load will also affect how often they burn through a dose.     Dr Selene has dubbed herself “Dr No” as she turns away roughly 10% of her clients on any given day. It is important to her to always act in her client's best interest. These procedures are meant to help preserve and enhance the beauty that already exists, not change everything into someone else.     Some of the other most popular treatments Dr Selene offers include laser-treatments, non-surgical and less invasive alternatives to a facelift, body sculpting and cool-sculpting, and others. She is always “results-oriented” meaning that her first question is always “does it work?”. It's all about picking the right treatment for the right person and setting the right, realistic expectations.    Dr Selene also works with women to support their sexual health. She has a laser called the “intima” which is made to help regenerate and stimulate a woman's vaginal walls and help with lubrication, tightening, and healing. While many procedures have mixed reviews that one is “all raves”.    Dr Selene is not only a med spa expert, but she also graduated med school at an early age, the youngest in her class at the time, and always knew that she wanted to enter esthetic medicine. She loved working in the ER because it was fast paced, varied, and she got to learn a lot about a lot of different things. She also got her MBA and started her esthetic medicine business as a charity to donate procedures to third world countries and help local doctors with the resources to perform those procedures. Changing lanes and starting new ventures was scary and even felt like she was turning her back on something important. However, she felt like she needed to walk away and pursue what felt like her “bigger purpose” which has led to enormous fulfillment.      What You'll Learn in This Podcast Episode:  Today on the Mentors and Moguls Podcast with your host, Heather Stone, Heather is sitting down with Dr Selene Castrejon, a leading authority in all thing's med-spa, all things Botox, and all procedures you can find in a med spa today. They sit down to dispel myths and share best practices for all med spa procedures.    Helpful Links:  Website:  https://beyouthful.com/about/  Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/drselene/  https://heatherrstone.com/podcast/drselene   

Today on the Mentors and Moguls Podcast with your host, Heather Stone, Heather is sitting down with AJ Vaden, co-founder of the Brand Builders Group, 8-figure entrepreneur, and co-host of The Influential Brand Podcast.    AJ discusses the question of what is a personal brand. Is it an online following, social media influencers or celebrities, course creation, speakers, authors, podcasters? In reality, AJ says, a “personal brand” is just an extension of your reputation. So the question is whether you are being intentional about the brand you are creating. What effort and intention are you putting into creating your “brand”? Do you know what you want to be known for?    Brand Builders Group is a personal brand strategy group for anyone who wants to become more well-known. Anyone who wants to enhance their personal brand needs to answer these four questions:  What problem do you solve?  Who do you solve this problem for?  What is your unique message to solving this problem?  How do you make money solving this problem?  When you know the answers to those four questions, you have clarity on your journey.    AJ does not believe in “overnight success” because no matter how immediate it may appear on the outside, years of hard work have gone into making anyone successful, overnight or not. Success comes out of hard work, time, intention, and resources. While that may look like overnight success from the outside, it can take a long time to even get to the place where you're able to achieve that “immediate success”    People are sometimes afraid to tell others about themselves and their work for fear of appearing “self-promotional” but the truth is, in order to gain personal success, you have to be willing to tell everyone about what you're doing because you believe in it. A book has the power to change your life, but you have to be willing to share it and talk about it. Even if you don't have a huge following, if you're willing to go on podcasts and tours and share to other followings, you can grow your audience and gain the following that will continue to make you successful long-term.    AJ was an art major in college but was encouraged by her father to change her major to something where she would be able to support herself long term so she changed to advertising and marketing. She ultimately did not want to work an office job where her salary was capped and she counted vacation days so at 22, she began her entrepreneurial journey. She started a business with one of her high school best friends, got recruited to a start-up and began putting on large motivational sales conferences. She learned how deeply being an entrepreneur meant just doing sales. AJ and her husband, Rory then co-created Brand Builders Group as a way to own and share their own experiences with others. She credits her faith in large part for helping her hold on through the tumultuous time of changing careers, starting new journeys, and building her family as she has moved to her success.    While people often think humility is at odds with the goal of growing a personal brand, AJ disagrees. She thinks you must be willing to share your own experiences if you believe they can help someone. Being willing to be vulnerable and human in your experiences, creates a trust and respect with your audience that will grow your success and following. That genuine audience is the single biggest factor in who people choose to buy from and follow.     What You'll Learn in This Podcast Episode:  In this episode, AJ Vaden offers questions and advice on how to intentionally and effectively create and grow your personal brand.       Helpful Links:  https://freebrandcall.com/heatherstone/  https://brandbuildersgroup.com/  IG: @AJ_Vaden  The Influential Personal Brand Podcast 

Today on the Mentors and Moguls Podcast with your host, Heather Stone, Heather is sitting down with Stephen Scoggins, who went from homeless and hopeless to heartfelt industry leader, speaker, and serial entrepreneur. Now, he's dedicated himself to serving the person he used to be.   Stephen's first hint that he would have to grow up fast was when he was just a young boy living with his Grandmother, who had raised him up to this point. When she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Stephen's role quickly became that of a caretaker and the person who would ultimately spend time raising his little brother. When she passed, his parents returned to the picture, and Stephen went to live and work in construction with his father and his brother with their mother in Florida. It was in this transition that Stephen met his first mentor, Steve.   Steve was constantly putting Stephen in a position where he was being challenged. Coming from a family with a history of alcoholism, Steve presented him a choice. Pulling him aside, Steve asked him a simple question: What's the difference between a poor person and a rich person? The answer isn't just money. It's the way they think. The idea of a poverty mindset was an ‘aha' moment for him and sent him on a trajectory that forever changed his life. This piece of advice, coming from a man who would leave $1,000 tips just to make a difference in someone's situation, was incredibly impactful.    Then, Steve eventually gave Stephen the opportunity to build a business, covering the cost of many aspects and allowing him to make money. The problem then became how to be responsible for what he had earned. He found himself in a situation where he was questioning his worth, eventually leading him to walk off the job and ultimately homeless. Fast forward, after a moment of realization and finding faith, Stephen found a second chance. With some convincing, he was able to earn back his role.    Stephen's advice to people who find themselves in a similar stuck position is to find someone who you aspire to be. Think about the impact they have. He believes that principles dictate promises. No matter what promises you make, there are principles to get you there. As far as building a successful business, it's about testing the market, seeing if it catches, then investing. We have a tendency to skip the testing and go straight to scaling, which won't land. Surround yourself with the right people and keep moving forward.   In the end, there are givers and takers, and then there are those in transition from one or the other. Stephen's advice: if you're not constantly evaluating your perspective, it's easy to slip back into becoming a taker. When you can do that, doors open for you–you don't have to go around pushing them open.    Links   https://stephenscoggins.com/   Things you'll learn In this episode, Stephen Scoggins shares with us his journey from homelessness to industry leader. He offers tips to avoid poverty mentality, the process of scaling a successful business, and how to align yourself with your principles to achieve the impact you want to have. 

Welcome back to the Mentors & Moguls podcast with Heather Stone! Today, we're talking about fear. We all have it in some way, shape, or form. Joining us is Mr. Bill Bennett. He's a writer, producer, and director of feature films and documentaries. His career spans 30 years, and he's made 16 feature films for dramatized documentaries, plus five feature-length documentaries.    Bill's movie, PGS: Intuition is your Personal Guidance System explores the scientifically proven phenomenon of intuition. A time ago, Bill experienced a near-death moment, where he very closely missed being hit by a massive truck in an intersection. But, his life was saved by a voice inside his head–his intuition–a very different feeling for Bill, who had an evidence-based upbringing. PGS documents his journey to find the source of that mysterious voice. What was that voice? Where did it come from? And why did it save his life? After a dream that told him he needed to pursue this film, once again his intuition was put to the test. Trusting that inner voice changed Bill's life fundamentally, but it wasn't easy and it wasn't immediate. He discovered a spiritual side of himself that was previously unknown.    Facing fear is a the crux of Bill's next film. He's challenging the idea that fear is necessary in our lives. When the pandemic hit, fear was abundant. He began looking at fear as true fear, survival fear, and imagined fear, and how much of the fear people experienced was imagined. A major fear is that of the unknown, and the pandemic embodied that for many people. Bill tapped into what he learned in making his film: when you're faced with fear, plan.  The truth is, you can't understand fear without understanding love. fear must be seen, not as something that demonizes you, but something that gives you the opportunity to learn and grow. For that to happen, you have to face it. You've got to befriend your fear–personalize it.    A major fear for some is what others think of them when they put themselves out there for all to see. At the root of this, Bill says from one of his interviews, is that you are unsure of who you really are. Once you do the work to know who you really are, you become rock-solid.    Fear makes you dumb. When fear hits, it evokes a flight or fight response, blocking out logical thinking. You've got to break that cycle. When you're faced with that fear, give yourself three seconds to let the fear run through you and the adrenaline wear off so you can work through the problem creatively.    Fear begets more fear. Flip that. Joy attracts more joy. No fear lives in the present moment. So, if you can stay there, you've worked around that fear. Fear has purpose, so once you can extract that, it becomes useful.    Fear of change is a massive part of society, and can actually be dangerous. Oftentimes, fear of change is linked to a fear of loss, the loss of status, or loss of abundance, or loss of sense of place–think racism and homophobia.    Bill has the 5 F's of fear: Find, feel, face, friend, and free your fear. Reminagine fear: it's something you can arm yourself with.    Things you'll learn On today's show, you'll get a breakdown of what fear is, it's different manifestations, and how you can extract usefulness from your fear to arm yourself. Bill touches on his own experiences and how that helped him develop some eye-opening films surrounding fear. Socials Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/billbennettoz/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/billbennettaus LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-bennett-9025661a/ Website - https://www.billbennett.com.au/ Watch Facing Fear – The Interviews -  https://facingfearinterviews.com/about/    

On today's episode of the Mentors and Moguls podcast with your host, Heather Stone, we're talking about stepping out of your comfort zone and conquering your fears by having a conversation with pilot and president of 45 North Aviation, Michael Terfehr while pulling G's in an L39 Albatross Fighter Jet.   Naturally, Mike's favorite part of flying with 45 North Aviation is flying upside-down. But deeper than that, it's the freedom that comes with the open skies. He can always be in contact with those in air traffic control, but only if he needs them. The ability to have the option while still having the freedom to fly is empowering.    For Heather, even though flying, especially in a fighter jet, can be scary, the views from the top are unlike anything else.

Today Heather is sitting down with a close friend and actress, Stephanie Szostak. Her most notable projects include The Devil Wears Prada, Ironman 3, and A Dinner for Schmucks just to name a few. Over the past decade, she has played alongside Meryl Streep, Robert Downey, Jr, Jeff Bridges, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Matt Damon, Kevin Bacon, Ryan Reynolds, and so many more.   Embracing being an outsider has been part of Stephanie's life from a very early age moving to America. Growing up, she struggled to keep up with humor, food, and other social aspects that were vastly different than what she was used to back home in France.    Rejection is a massive part of Stephanie's work. Even now having worked with A-list actors, she has to overcome the challenge of failure. It's easy to allow that failure to seep into crucial self-worth and force questioning of your own capabilities. At one point, Stephanie went over a year without a role, and when she didn't land a French bartending role, it was a major blow. Eventually, she realized she had to focus on what she could control, and learn and grow, but on her own terms. She broke free of what others thought or wanted of her and became an authentic version of herself. Prepare and let go. That's how things happen. If you can be authentic, that is a success.    Stephanie's role in Iron Man three was the first time a director believed she had it in her to be a villain. The very thought of being the ‘tough guy' struck fear. But, her husband reminded her that her vulnerability was tough. She went in with an open, curious, and humble mind. To prepare for it, she worked hard to shed her ‘girly' feeling of her body and give her belief that she could be the character. Working with Robert Downey Jr., she says, is like dancing with a good leader–everything is easier. On top of that, she would dance and rap in her trailer before she worked. Even when facing disappointment as her role grew and was cut back, she learned to celebrate her effort over the outcome.    Every time she comes on to set, Stephanie says, there is some fear. It's a challenge to have a new start and a new transition. When she was doing a movie with Kevin Bacon, Jeff Bridges., and Ryan Reynolds, she found herself alone with Kevin Bacon. After complimenting a difficult role Kevin played, he showed incredible vulnerability in sharing how nervous he was before starting a new movie. Even those who seem to be at the pinnacle of their craft face the same challenges.   Stephanie developed the 180 playbook in the wake of that moment. She went on a search for how to deal with those insecurities. She realized it wasn't about fear or about performance anxiety, it was also about finding meaning and knowing what she's about and what she can bring to the table. From there, the challenge became 1) how do you remember all this, and 2) how do you incorporate all these new practices into your mindset. Stephanie started making flashcards before she would go on set, which sparked the idea of developing an app that could bring motivation for the day and set you in the right frame of mind. It could help people in recovery or therapy, and those who are just trying to make a change.     Shifting gears entirely, Stephanie has had numerous love scenes with the likes of Ryan Reynolds and others. For her, she finds it easier as she's French and having professional partners make a huge difference. It's about knowing her boundaries. The unexpected thing that she's found lovely, she says, is the connections and friendships she's built. On top of that, playing a villain with Robert Downey Jr. was an incredible professional accomplishment.    Socials @stephshortstak   What you'll learn On today's episode, Stephanie shares with us how she overcomes rejection, failure, and challenges that put into question her self-worth. She discusses her process for prepping for a role with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, and how she gets her mind in the right place every day. 

Today's guest is successful coach, entrepreneur, trainer, and CrossFit guru, Gunther Klaus. He's the founder of Strength & Mechanics, a health and fitness program out of America's most health and body-conscious city - Los Angeles. In this episode, Heather and Gunther discuss all things health and fitness. They cover Gunther's available courses, modern myths, why support matters, how to get the most out of your workout, the importance of science, and so much more!  Catch up with Gunther on Instagram @guntherklaus. Be sure to visit Heather at https://heatherrstone.com/ and subscribe to this channel for more Mentors & Moguls.

Deborah Koenigsberger is the founder of the nonprofit organization Hearts of Gold. For over 27 years, Hearts of Gold has sought to end homelessness for women and children in New York City through a combination of need-based programs and shelters which now house and assist over 35,000 mothers and children. Today, I’m sitting down with Deborah to learn more about how she was inspired to start the program, how she stays motivated and positive, and what it takes to effect true change within your sphere.    Decades ago, as Deborah walked from home to work, she would pass through a run-down park populated with homeless families and individuals. A young mother herself, she couldn’t stop wondering about the mothers living there. As she got to know one woman in particular, she learned that the mother had been molested in one of the shelters, and therefore felt more safe on the streets. A lifelong fan of Stevie Wonder, Deborah took his song “Take the Time Out” to heart. She was inspired to take a step and work to make a change. As Deborah got involved, she started to take ownership of not only shelters, but also attendant programs that could assist in raising women and children out of homelessness.    The problem of homelessness is overwhelming to think about. We took time to discuss with Deborah how she manages to stay motivated and positive in the face of such staggering need. Deborah shares how community service was really built into her DNA growing up and how her faith sustains her when she would otherwise sink. Furthermore, she’s a highly results-oriented person. By breaking the problem down into achievable goals and remembering the impact on individuals she’s met, she’s able to press forward with her whole heart and her whole effort.    Hearts of Gold is not just about satisfying the immediate needs of women and children under its protection. It seeks to break the cycle of poverty and lift individuals out of homelessness. To Deborah, this comes down to investing in individuals, expanding their world view, prioritizing education, and letting them always know that someone is cheering for them. Hearts of Gold’s programs, from the learn to earn work experience program at Deborah’s own thrift store boutique to summer teen enrichment programs, open up access and opportunities for individuals. Like many charitable programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hearts of Gold had to cancel fundraisers even in the face of ever-increasing needs, and is therefore working with a restricted budget this year. Deborah shares ways you can get involved in this work, and the current and future initiatives that Hearts of Gold has planned to meet the evolving needs of the community.    What You Will Learn   The power of just one person to effect real change in her community and world.  How to stay positive and motivated in the face of overwhelming odds.  What factors make the real difference for children and mothers living in poverty.  How to join in the work of Hearts of Gold, or find a passion for another worthy project that needs your efforts.    Referenced Links   https://www.heartsofgold.org/ Social Handles   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartsofgoldnyc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartsofgoldnyc/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3bZPWBU_tLnchF0T_UBbmg

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Garrett Madison, a world-record holding mountain climber and Mount Everest guide-extraordinaire. His records include being the only person to climb Mount Everest and nearby Mount Lhotse in a day, three times; being the only American to climb K2 twice; and he has personally led more climbers to the summits of Mount Everest and K2 than anyone else. Together, Garrett and I talk about his career, following your passion, and leadership.    Garrett’s passion for mountain climbing began when he was in high school, and he and his dad decided they wanted to climb Mount Rainier. After preparing for the climb, Garrett realized he wanted to continue to learn more, so he enrolled in more mountaineering classes, and in college, he was hired as a Mount Rainier guide. While Garrett thought it would be a fun summer job, he then ended up making it into a career as a fulltime mountain guide expedition leader.    Garrett explains that his job comes with a number of different rewards, and that while the records he holds are great, his favorite parts of the job are simply getting to spend time in the mountains and helping others to achieve their bucket-list goals. He shares that the first time he made it to the summit of Everest, it was a really emotional experience and that helping other climbers reach that summit and sharing in that experience with them is both special and very rewarding.    As someone who people trust to lead them up mountains and navigate them through the difficulties of the journey, Garrett also talks to listeners about leadership. He shares with them an experience in which he and his team ended up getting stuck on Everest after an earthquake  and how in experiences such as this, the most important actions a leader can take are: handle things moment by moment, look out for the people around you, and keep calm.    Finally, Garrett ends our talk today by encouraging those who are listening to follow their hearts. As someone who never had a roadmap for his own career, Garrett advises following your passion and believing that things will work themselves out from there. In addition to his work as a guide, he also then goes on to discuss his work as a film producer, writer, and his future goal of becoming a sailor.    To hear more about some of Garrett’s incredible expeditions, his favorite climbs, and how to prepare for your own climbing adventure or expedition, be sure to listen in to today’s episode!     What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: In this podcast episode, you’ll learn about the career and amazing feats of mountain climber and guide, Garrett Madison, as well as hear his advice regarding leadership and following one’s passion.    Helpful Links: Check out Garrett’s website at: https://madisonmountaineering.com/   Follow Garrett on Instagram @garrettmadison1

On today’s episode, I welcome Carolyn Spector, the President and Chief Operating Officer of JUHI LLC, a company which offers healthcare services with a specialization in Eastern medicine. Carolyn shares with listeners her career journey and how her path has taken her from criminal law, to work with a variety of nonprofits, to her current position. Carolyn also shares her experiences with tragedy, offering listeners encouraging words for how to persevere through even the most difficult of times.    Carolyn begins our conversation today by talking about her background in criminal law and how she was instrumental in creating one of the first ever sexual assault and sexual violence units back in the 80’s. She explains that as she began to develop more and more empathy for the victims of domestic violence crimes, she grew more passionate about finding ways to make a difference in the lives of others.    Because of Carolyn’s passion, she eventually was led to New York, where she began work with Safe Horizon, which continues to serve as the nation's leading victim assistance organization. From her experience working with Safe Horizon, Carolyn then went on to develop her own nonprofit: Walk to End Domestic Violence. While her work with this project only lasted a couple years due to the impact 9/11 had on New York, it was not the last of Carolyn’s involvement with nonprofits. After moving to Long Island, she then became the executive director for Mission Restore, a nonprofit whose goal was to train surgeons in foreign war-torn countries to be proficient in reconstructive surgery. In 2012, she was then hired as a director at the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction, which is a nonprofit that has since become known as myFace.    While Carolyn enjoyed her work at myFace, she then shares with listeners that unfortunately in 2013 her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer, and it became necessary for her to find a way to support her family while staying home and serving as his caretaker. In order to do so, she began her own consulting business. Carolyn then shares that soon after her husband passed away, she unexpectedly lost her mother and felt herself hit bottom. She describes the experience as being in hell and opens up about how she had no idea how to escape it. Eventually, this is what led her to Juhi Singh, who helped to heal her and whose relationship eventually led to her current position at JUHI LLC.    Pulling from her personal experiences with tragedy, Carolyn offers listeners advice on how to push through difficult times even when things seem darkest. She shares her belief that “good things always come from bad things” and encourages those who are struggling to reach out to someone they trust for help. To hear more of Carolyn’s advice or learn more about her career path, be sure to check out today’s episode!    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: On today’s episode, you’ll learn about Carolyn Spector’s career, her work with JUHI LLC, and her past involvement with a number of nonprofits. She also offers listeners encouraging words on how to make it through tragedy.    Helpful Links: To learn more about the Juhi Ash Center and schedule an appointment, check out the company’s website at: https://www.juhi.center/   Learn more about Carolyn’s work experience by checking out her profile at:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynspector/   To learn more about Safe Horizon, check out the organization’s website: https://www.safehorizon.org/   To learn more about Mission Restore, check out the organization’s website: https://missionrestore.org/ To learn more about myFace, check out the organization’s website: https://www.myface.org/

Today, I welcome to the show Will Buxton, an award-winning sports broadcaster, writer, voice-over artist, and commentator but whom you may know best from Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive series. Together, Will and I talk about how his love for F1 racing has driven his career, his favorite parts of the job, the necessity of surrounding yourself with positivity and people who support you, and the importance of authenticity.   Will begins our conversation today by talking about how his love for F1 racing began and how from the age of 13, he knew he wanted to grow up to write about the sport. He then discusses his path towards obtaining such a career, admitting that instead of journalism, he studied politics in school, which helped him to develop his research and argumentation skills as well as discover his own voice. Upon graduating, he then sent his thesis to an F1 magazine, was later offered a job, and thus began his dream career. While Will notes that his passion has always driven him, he also warns listeners that you can’t rely on passion alone for success but instead must be willing to put in the work.   Will and I then move on to talking about his favorite part of his job as a journalist. He shares that his favorite moments are often when he’s able to talk to drivers for longer than five minutes about something that’s not about racing. He explains that in those moments, you really come to see the human that’s underneath what’s often an athletic mask or persona and how when you give someone room to open up about what’s going on in their lives, it can lead to powerful and meaningful conversations.    Lastly, Will and I shift to discussing career advice. He stresses the importance of recognizing your own worth when deciding whether or not to accept a position and how this often comes with maturity and experience. He also encourages listeners to surround themselves with mentors and those voices that ignite within them the drive to be better. From here, Will segues into talking about the benefits and dangers of social media and the ways it can both help and hurt one’s career. Finally, Will shares the ways Covid-19 has impacted his career as well as led him to think more deeply about what it is he’s truly looking for out of life.   To hear more of Will’s career advice, about the future of the Drive to Survive series, and his thoughts on the 2021 F1 racing season, be sure to listen in!    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: In today’s episode, Will offers advice on how to turn your passion into a career, gives listeners insights into his Netflix series and the drivers behind the camera, and talks about the importance of mentors, authenticity, and social media when it comes to standing out in a journalistic career field.    Helpful Links: Follow Will on social media @wbuxtonofficial   Check out Will’s YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/WillBuxtonOfficial/featured Check out Will’s book, My Greatest Defeat: Stories of Hardship and Hope from Motor Racing's Finest Heroes: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-greatest-defeat-will-buxton/1130041074

Today I’m joined by Mike Meyer who serves as Head of Global Sales and Trading at Seaport Global. While the two of us touch upon business, however, the focus of our conversation today is on Mike’s passion project, a documentary called (In)Visible Portraits that is dedicated to celebrating American black women in the past and present while looking with hope towards the future. Mike shares with listeners his inspiration for the project, how it came to be made, and the impact he hopes it will have on its audience.     Mike describes (In)Visible Portraits as a “love-letter to black women,” explaining that the idea for the project came to him after watching Isiah Thomas’s Hall of Fame induction speech, where he became overwhelmed with emotion as he addressed his mother and talked about the incredible influence she had on his life. Watching Thomas’s speech stuck with Mike, and he realized that women like Mary Thomas are some of the most important Americans who get up and face challenges every day but never receive the recognition they deserve. Because of this, Mike’s project began as a celebration of black mothers.    While (In)Visible Portraits was first released on Juneteenth 2020, Mike explains that the project took over ten years to come into fruition. He talks about the difficulty of finding a director for the film until a mutual friend introduced him to filmmaker Oge Egbuonu, who took on the project. While the film wasn’t set to be released until later in 2020, the team decided it best to release it on Juneteenth after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor brought revived awareness to the racial tensions and injustices still alive in the United States. As Mike shares, his hope for the film is that it will bring both emotion and an awareness to its audience that will then make its way through society. He hopes for the film to one day become a part of the education system and taught at all levels.    Listen in to learn more about Mike’s influences, his next initiative for fighting against racial inequality, and the film’s development, and be sure to tune in on March 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT as (In)Visible Portraits premieres on the Oprah Winfrey Network.    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: On today’s episode, you’ll learn about (In)Visible Portraits, a documentary dedicated to celebrating American black women in the past and present while looking with hope towards the future. In addition to learning about the documentary itself, you’ll also learn from executive producer Mike Meyer about what inspired the film and how it got made.    Helpful Links: To learn more about (In)Visible Portraits and watch its trailer, check out the documentary’s website at: https://www.invisibleportraits.com/

On today’s episode, we’re talking all about STEM, a field that’s projected to grow 13% in the decade spanning 2017-2027. With this future in sight, I sit down today with MLB Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and Dr. Alan Gomez, two men who respectively serve as the founder and executive director of the Mr. October Foundation. Together, the two share with us the Foundation’s educational goals, its commitment to serving under-privelaged youth, and how they hope for the program to impact and improve communities across the United States.    Our conversation begins with Mr. October himself, as Reggie Jackson talks about what drove him to create the Mr. October Foundation in the first place. He explains that while he has always been dedicated to helping schools and children, it wasn’t until someone recommended he become involved in the STEM field that the seeds for the program became planted. Reggie found that while the STEM field is clearly where the future is headed, many minorities were not being provided the educational opportunities needed to introduce them to the field. So, he saw this as a need he was able to help with and began devoting his efforts to supporting and educating minorities, believing it the best way to better develop educational equality.    Alan Gomez then shares how he and Reggie became connected and were able to begin developing and branching out the Mr. October Foundation across the country. He explains that the program is designed to help within all community types, whether they be urban, suburban, or rural, and talks about the success they’ve already had with thousands of students in areas such as the Bronx, Detroit, and Oakland. He also emphasizes how important the program has been especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic and how it has worked to ensure that children continue to have hands-on intellectual tools available to them from wherever they may now be learning. They have done so through an educational resource skill kit where students can conduct experiments at home that range from building their own speaker, to growing lettuce, to practicing First Aid.    Finally, my two guests close our conversation today by discussing that while their program can also help adult learners with retraining or pivoting in their career, they are hoping that by providing the means for children to explore their interests across a number of STEM fields, in the future they will be able to lower the need for someone in their mid-thirties to return to education programs and change careers. More than just preparing children for their own future though, both Reggie and Alan see this type of education as a means to better the community, recognizing that one day these students will be able to contribute to their communities as competent, future employees capable of bringing about social change.    To learn more about the Mr. October Foundation, its goals for the next 3-5 years, or how you can bring the program into your own community, be sure to listen in!    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: In today’s episode, you’ll learn about the Mr. October Foundation, the work it’s doing to provide educational opportunities in the field of STEM to minority and under-served students throughout the United States, and why this work is so crucial to creating a better future for our communities.    Helpful Links: Learn more about the Mr. October Foundation at https://mroctober.org/

Welcome back to the Mentors and Moguls podcast with your host, Heather Stone. Today, Heather is joined by Kristen Bowes Burke, who is serving as general counsel at Mercy College in New York.   Kristen has always knowns she wanted to go into law. She grew up loving politics and was infatuated with the substantive and leadership aspects of that career path, and even wanted to become president when she grew up. Law was a pathway for that, as the two are so intertwined.    Kristen’s path to college was built on a unique combination of skills and passions. There are many avenues to getting into an institution and graduating with a degree, and for Kristen, sports were a hugely important part of her life and played a key role in her journey. She grew up playing team sports in soccer and basketball, building tremendous courage and leadership skills. It was a part of her identity. Confidence was built there. Since she was a little girl, she advocated for herself to try out for state teams, olympic development teams, and beyond.    Through sports and outstanding academics, Kristen was accepted into some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation, including Harvard, Yale, and Cornell. Kristen reminds us that even she received financial support from the places she was accepted. The resources are out there for those who are overcoming that hurdle. Look at whatever talent you have and include that in what you present to schools--they are looking at well-roundedness as well, not just grades.    After college, Kristen knew she was going straight into law school. Her philosophy was to get into a school and do the very, very best that she could. Through a powerful internship and an influential mentor, Kristen discovered her passion for law at the state and District Attorney level. She was patient in her search for a law firm to work at, however. She wanted to be a prosecutor and never took her eye off the prize. Her advice is to stay absolutely committed to your end goal and never lose sight of it.    Kristen’s most important and best decision of her life, she says, is working in the Bronx DA office, and it’ gave her the skills she needed to do anything you could imagine. The pressured and quick-thinking environment was truly a test of her intelligence, persistence, and tenacity. She had a boss that really looked out for her that helped her get over the hump. She would be the only woman in the room of forty men leading incredibly important meetings and preparing the blueprint for task forces.    She now mentors young women in law having them shadow in her office. She did some work in a sexual discrimination case that gives her the most pride. She worked with students and task forces to create policy at a college level. Six months later, what is now known as Title XI, was widely released. Kristen was ahead of the curve. She would train and educate community members and students on the policy and her background on it.    The common principle, the throughline throughout her career, was to do everything to the max and do whatever you do intensely. When her parents got divorced, she had a huge amount of people who invested their support in her. Now, everything she does is to make them proud.    Things You’ll Learn On today’s episode, leading woman in law and general counsel at Mercy College in New York, Kristen Bowes Burke shares with us her pathway to college, impactful mentors and internships she experienced, and how she is passing the torch through educating young women going into the field of law.

Are you looking for advice on how to do what you love and be successful at it? If so, then today’s episode is for you! Today I’m joined by Nick Onken, a world renowned photographer and creative entrepreneur who has worked across continents and with numerous celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Cody Simpson, and Usher, just to name a few. Nick shares with us insights into his career as a photographer and the importance of being persistent when it comes to combining art with business and turning a passion into profit.    Nick begins our discussion by explaining how his career began in graphic design but changed once he discovered his passion for photography. Realizing that photography was where he wanted to focus his career, he then spent years and thousands of hours practicing and honing his craft, insisting that for anyone looking to build a career in the arts, you have to be willing to keep grinding and refining your work in order to build a solid portfolio.   While Nick’s favorite part of his career is the freedom it gives him to be his own boss, he talks about the uncertainties that can come from running your own business, citing his own highs and lows as examples and sharing how one big break might be followed by years of smaller jobs. Nick’s advice is to recognize that success is not a straightforward path but instead requires constant persistence and the willingness to adapt with the shifting market.    In addition to discussing his career as a whole, Nick also provides listeners insights into the different aspects of working as a photographer, discussing the more logistical demands of his work such as the accounting, negotiating, networking, and self-marketing it involves. In particular, Nick emphasizes the benefits that can come from working with a good team of people with whom you can build a creative camaraderie.    As we begin wrapping up our conversation, Nick reiterates to listeners how important it is for entrepreneurs to continually work on their personal development and emotional navigation. He explains that because emotions and beliefs are often what dictate a person’s capabilities, being able to shift your beliefs can help you and your work continually grow and expand, noting that such a mindset is especially important amongst the conditions of a global pandemic.    To get Nick’s full advice for artists and hear more about his exciting work and upcoming projects, be sure to listen in to today’s episode!    What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In today’s episode, you’ll learn about the highs and lows that come from running your own business, the necessity for artists to continually be building and refining their craft, and tips for combining art and business in order to turn passion into profit. Nick also shares information about his personal career, and how he’s come to find success and fulfillment through his work.    Helpful Links: Find Nick on Instagram: @photographsbynickonken AND @nickonken Check out Nick’s website at: https://photographsbynickonken.com/

Today we're joined by Maria Yap, the Vice President of Digital Imaging at Adobe who shares with listeners her experience working in design, a career that blends together creativity and technology. Together we talk about digital imaging, AI, diversity in the workplace, and how to craft a dream career and love what you do.    Maria begins today’s conversation by explaining how design work is largely about problem-solving and learning how to plan and visualize the message you want communicated. She also explains how AI has been growing within the field and how it allows for creators to focus their energies on creativity and communicating their vision while the AI takes care of the more mundane tasks of the job. Maria shares insights into her experiences working at Adobe specifically, discussing many of the tools and filters Adobe has developed as well as the company’s approach to helping customers.   In terms of her personal career journey, Maria explains that while education and schooling is a very linear path, a career itself is very nonlinear. Because of this, she encourages listeners to not try to force a linear career path but to instead focus on their passions and what they want to learn and to use these motivations to drive them forward. She shares that some of the best advice she ever received was to ask herself: What’s the worst thing that could happen if I try this thing? She then recommends that listeners ask themselves the same question when thinking about their own career choices.    In addition to talking about her career as a designer, Maria also discusses the importance of diversity when it comes to building a team in the workplace and how diversity can help lead to some of the most innovative solutions. She shares that when assembling her team, she looks for two key characteristics: growth mindset and having a vision for the role. She also talks about practicing servant-leadership, which is a form of leadership in which the leader acts in a way that best serves the members of her team. She explains that having empathy for both her team members and her customers has been one of her best tools as a leader and designer.    For more advice from Maria on how to enter the design field as well as more tips concerning mentorship, leadership, and complex problem-solving, be sure to listen in to today’s episode!    What You’ll Learn in Today’s Podcast:  On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the careers of design and software development and how they come to unite creativity with technology. Maria also shares with listeners advice on career paths, problem-solving, mentorships, and the importance of working with a diverse team of people.    Helpful Links: Follow Maria on Twitter and Instagram @mariayap

On this episode, I’m joined by Chalene Johnson, a world-renowned health expert, motivational speaker, New York Times best-selling author, podcaster, and trainer who has sold millions of fitness videos. Today, Chalene shares with listeners her insights into the business and marketing world as well as offers advice regarding fitness and nutrition. Whether you’re looking to start your own business, learn techniques for managing a work-life balance, or are simply wondering how to lose that Covid-19 weight, this episode is for you.    Chalene begins our discussion by talking about her early experiences in business and marketing and how she created her own businesses in order to pay her way through college. She then explains how after college, she took on a number of different jobs and passions before realizing that in order to find success, it was in her best interest to focus her attention in one area exclusively. So, rather than following her passion, she made the business decision to follow opportunity and channeled her attention towards fitness.    Chalene then shares with listeners that while her fitness empire brought her incredible success, it began negatively impacting both her health and marriage because of a lack of a work-life balance. Therefore, in order to salvage these things, Chalene and her husband ended up selling their business and began devising a number of boundaries and guidelines for themselves and their work. While Chalene explains it was difficult to learn to stick to these boundaries and how to find self-value outside of work, these are what ultimately helped her and her husband to establish a healthy work-life balance.   Chalene explains that while she is largely known for fitness, her skill set lies first and foremost in business and marketing. She shares with listeners advice on leadership, finding and maintaining strong energy throughout the workday, company culture, and the importance of helping those you’re working with feel important.    Finally, Chalene brings our discussion to a close by talking about her latest weight-loss program, Phase It Up, an online program that gives participants the structure to figure out how they’re supposed to be eating in their unique life moment and how their eating habits will need to change according to their different life phases. The program is designed to help people understand their diet and how to adjust it when needed.    In addition to discussing Phase It Up, Chalene also provides a number of insights into metabolism, why diets stop working, motivational triggers, and mindset. To learn more about these fitness and nutritional tips or about Chalene’s business and marketing advice, be sure to listen in to today’s episode!    What You’ll Learn in Today’s Podcast:  On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the life and work of Chalene Johnson who shares with listeners insights into business and marketing as well advice regarding fitness and nutrition.    Helpful Links: To learn more about Chalene, her work, Phase It Up, or to listen to her podcast, check out her website at: https://www.chalenejohnson.com/   Follow Chalene on social media @ChaleneJohnson

Today I’m joined by Jamie Leigh Kreshock who serves as a partner at Cooley law firm, co-chair of the firm's worldwide M&A group, and is a co-creator of The Shift, a mindfulness app dedicated to meditation, alignment, and connection. Together, Jamie and I discuss her career path to becoming a business lawyer, the variety of tasks her job entails, and what life skills she has found to be most valuable to her success. Jamie begins our podcast today by informing listeners that her current career didn’t arise from some masterplan she always had. Instead, Jamie credits where she is today as being a result of her simply always looking to make the “next best choice” in her life. She explains that by giving herself permission to not worry about letting herself down, she was better able to stay in the moment and open herself to each new project and mentor that came her way.  As a business lawyer, Jamie works primarily with tech and life science companies that have given her a lot of experience with business management and counseling. In these positions, she fills a number of different roles, such as acting as a coach, investigator, and negotiator. Some of the companies she has worked with in the past include Uber, Tableau, Workday, Dropbox, Levi Strauss & Co., Procore, and more. However, she says that one of the most exciting deals she has ever been a part of was the selling of Lucasfilm to Disney.  When discussing the type of work she performs on a daily basis, Jamie tells listeners that when working with businesses, she often tries to act as more of a connector than a leader because companies tend to respond better when they feel like they are a part of the work. She credits this practice to her lifelong belief in teamwork, which she learned from her athletic experience as a rower in high school and college. Jamie explains that her core belief in teamwork is what has led to much of her M&A group’s success because when the group is sharing the same goals and mentality, the work gets completed more efficiently and effectively.  Jamie and I then end today’s episode by talking about what a typical day looks like for her. While she explains that there is no “typical day,” she does always make a point to integrate health and wellness into her daily routine, which she says helps her to become the best version of herself. This then leads us to discussing her app, The Shift, which her and her co-creator designed to help listeners begin practicing small habits to improve their mindfulness in a variety of life categories such as love, contentment, sleep, etc. To learn more about Jamie’s app as well as about the daily practices she finds most beneficial to her own work, be sure to listen in to today’s episode!  What You’ll Learn in Today’s Podcast: On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the life and work of Jamie Leigh Kreshock, a partner at Cooley law firm, co-chair of the firm's worldwide M&A group, and co-creator of The Shift, a mindfulness app dedicated to meditation, alignment, and connection.  Helpful Links: Download and learn more about Jamie’s app, The Shift, here: https://www.the-shiftapp.com/ You can read more about Jamie and her law experience here: https://www.cooley.com/people/jamie-leigh

Today’s expert mentoring session is led by chef, mother, and entrepreneur, Maire Byrne, a woman with a passion for good food and good business. After completing her culinary program, Maire had the experience to open and work at new and upcoming restaurants in the San Francisco area where she also later became a founder, owner, and operator of multiple gourmet restaurants and catering locations in California.   Maire admits that she always loved to cook, but she didn’t begin her culinary career until after graduating college and moved to Pasadena, California to work as a caterer. However, she moved to the state of Colorado about a year later where she was influenced to apply to a two-year culinary school program in upstate New York.    After completing her culinary training, Maire experienced a dream come true when she helped open a new restaurant in San Francisco—something she recommends that everyone in the industry should try to experience for invaluable life and career lessons.        Although Maire enjoyed having the opportunity to open a few new restaurants within the San Francisco area, she also couldn’t pass up the chance to transition to a different role as a private chef for a family within the area. This is where she feels that she found her own personal style as a chef and had the room and resources to explore new foods and ideas in the kitchen.    Now, Marie owns and operates a cafe, a restaurant, a gourmet food-ordering service, and a full-service catering location, too. From dressing rooms, to cubicles, to the most beautiful homes in LA, Maire and her team can cook in—and for—them all. All of Maire’s locations uniquely prepare and deliver food to the customers, and each location will feature different seasonal dishes and specialties throughout the year as well.         Things You Will Learn You will learn about Maire Byrne’s culinary journey and transformation as well as how she juggles her roles of business woman, mother, and culinary expert.    External Links Check out Thyme Cafe and Market’s website: https://thymecafeandmarket.com/ Or Local Kitchen and Wine Bar: http://localkitchenandwinebar.com/

Today’s expert mentoring session is led by Tyler Nimmons, a CEO and creative director of a full-service and creative production agency, Front Runner Films. This mentoring session will focus on the simple steps anyone can take to create a fantastic video with a professional look that will tell your story and share your brand. Together, Heather and Tyler will discuss and share tips for curious listeners about how to blow up your brand.    As the CEO of Front Runner Films, Tyler is a jack-of-all-trades. He is passionate about tackling any and all jobs from all angles of the camera, and approaches each project with what he calls an artistic marriage between corporate and creativity. Tyler and his crew at Front Runner Films are masters of emotions while they work with clients to unlock their ultimate creative potential when creating unique and individual corporate and commercial films.       Even during the pandemic, Tyler and his team were able to deliver beautiful pieces to clients to share their stories, build their brand, and even share a little kindness to his clients on set, too. Front Runner Films’ crew takes great care to promote a comfortable, fun, and inspiring experience to all of their clients, and their care also extends to and is evident in the editing and post-production processes to perfectly reflect their clients’ brands as well.    Tyler also offers the listeners a few tips for curious and budding filmmakers or those who want to try their creative hand in the business of filmmaking. Whether you want to pursue filmmaking as a hobby or with an intent to launch a career, Tyler offers some of his experience and personal passions and shares some words of advice for all listeners of the podcast.        Things You Will Learn You will learn about Front Runner Films, its crew and culture, and how Tyler’s own personal creative processes fit into Front Runner Film’s overall mission and approach to creative design.    External Links Everything Front Runner Films is launching a new site: https://frontrunnerfilmsllc.com/   Or contact a team member: info@frontrunnerfilmsllc.com  Social Media Check out @frontrunnerfilmsllc on Instagram

Welcome back to the Mentors and Moguls podcast with your host, Heather Stone.  In a male-dominated automotive industry, some women are breaking the trend. Today, we’re talking about innovation, and our guests today are leading the way. Joining us is Paulette Avolio, who works in the autonomous vehicle division with Ford, and Stephanie Price, an application engineer with Promess Inc.    Although women make up almost half of the US labor force, they represent less than a quarter of the automotive workforce. Women held 23.6% of jobs in the industry in 2019, and in the same year, women of color made up an even smaller fraction of that. Women also only represented 17.9% of auto dealers and 9.9% of automotive repair positions in the US.    Paulette is innovating in ways that seem incredibly futuristic. By the time she’s retired, she says we will see autonomous vehicles. She’s working with a team that is focused on safety when it comes to innovated vehicles. She’s tackling how autonomous vehicles behave on steel bridges to ensure the safest, best product gets to the customer.    There is certainly room for women in the innovative space, Stephanie and Paulette agree. Stephanie points out how exceptionally good women are at taking in an incredible amount of information, analyzing it efficiently, and producing a result or answer. Both of these women started out breaking things, which is how they came to this experimental world they’re in today. There’s a hunger in the industry to include more perspective and experiences so that they can solve tomorrow’s problems with a wider view.    There are programs for women who are looking to get into the industry, and both Stephanie and Paulette are optimistic that more and more women will become innovators alongside them.    What you’ll learn In today’s episode, two women leading the way in the automotive industry sit down o talk about innovation, women in a male-dominated industry, and how important it is to include diverse perspectives in the workplace.   LINKS https://fordlabs.com/  https://corporate.ford.com/company/autonomous-vehicles.html https://corporate.ford.com/careers/diversity.html

Today I’m joined by the incredible Nancy Davis, who is the chairwoman of Race to Erase MS, founder of Cure Addiction Now, and designer of Peace and Love Jewelry. Nancy shares with us how her own multiple sclerosis diagnosis drove her to create a program that has single-handedly brought hope to those diagnosed with MS by funding research that has led to the development of new drugs for those with the disease. Together, we talk about Nancy’s inspirational work and the motivation behind each of her projects.    Nancy begins today’s episode by sharing with listeners her own experience of becoming diagnosed with MS and how in her search to receive multiple opinions about her diagnosis, she realized many of the best doctors in the country were all doing identical research but weren’t communicating with one another. Seeing the potential in what could happen if they did share their research with one another, Nancy founded the Center without Walls program, which has allowed medical professionals in the field to form a network and share their expertise. This program has revolutionized MS research and led to the development of fifteen drugs that are now on the market that can improve the quality of life for those with MS.    The Center without Walls program and Race to Erase MS organization are so important because they offer hope to those who otherwise may be facing a bleak future. Nancy explains that MS affects women three times as often as it does men and that it is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20-40, when most people are just starting to hit their stride in life. Not only does it affect a person’s health, but it can impact their career and their family, making the development of research that can improve someone’s quality of life incredibly life-changing.    In addition to talking about her work with Center without Walls and Race to Erase MS, Nancy also shares with us her latest project: Cure Addiction Now, a charity dedicated to funding research to find therapies for substance use disorder and help people not only detox but stay in permanent recovery from addiction. Nancy explains how this project was inspired by her frustration at seeing how wrongly those dealing with a drug addiction are often treated and at the lack of effective, affordable treatments available in the United States for those suffering from substance use disorder. Through Cure Addiction Now, Nancy not only aspires to create an affordable, easily available kit that can help people get sober on their own, but she also wants to change the narrative surrounding addiction that often shames those who are suffering from this horrible disease.   Nancy and I finish our discussion by talking about some of Nancy’s other projects including her Peace and Love Jewelry line and her book Lean on Me: Ten Powerful Steps to Moving Beyond Your Diagnosis and Taking Back Your Life. Despite her diagnosis, Nancy continues to live a full and very active life, something she says she achieves by keeping a positive attitude and being thankful everyday for her health, family, and friends and not taking what she has in her life for granted.   If you’re looking to hear more about Nancy’s inspirational story and work, be sure to listen in!    What You’ll Learn in Today’s Podcast: On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the work of Nancy Davis, her organizations Race to Erase MS and Cure Addiction Now, and how they’re helping to create ground-breaking medical research in efforts to help save and improve the lives of those suffering from either multiple sclerosis or addiction.    Helpful Links: To learn more about Race to Erase MS, check out the organization’s website at: https://www.erasems.org/   Learn more about Nancy’s charity, Cure Addiction Now, at: http://cureaddictionnow.org/   Interested in checking out Nancy’s book, Lean on Me? Find it here at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GCFXR2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Want to purchase Peace and Love Jewelry by Nancy Davis? Find it here at: https://www.peaceandlovejewelry.com/

On today’s episode, we dive into taking a deeper look at the Digital Divas program, a STEM initiative founded at Eastern Michigan University that’s dedicated to introducing young girls to the STEM field. I’m joined by Skip Lawver, Paulette Avolio, Bia Hamed, Stephanie Price, and Katelyn Coberley, five of the program’s volunteers who sit down with me today to talk about the importance of the program’s work, why the STEM field needs women and greater diversity, and the benefits of a career in STEM.    My guests today begin by talking about the goals of the Digital Divas program. Not only is it designed to offer girls the kinds of hands-on experiences they don’t normally get in a classroom, but the workshops of the program are led by women with degrees in the STEM field who can then act as role models to the girls they are teaching. The group explains how diversity is key to their program and that because of this, they strive to bring in women of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities so that the students can see women who may resemble themselves.    The program is also dedicated to breaking the common stereotypes associated with the STEM field so as to help girls keep an open mind about the career opportunities they may pursue in the future. They explain that oftentimes girls have skills they don’t even realize that in the future could make them an excellent project manager, developer, computer programer, etc., and Digital Divas helps its students explore these possibilities and develop the self esteem and confidence to pursue them.    Not only do those involved with Digital Divas see the program benefiting its students, but they also see it as critical to the future of the STEM field as a whole. They discuss that currently only about 20% of the degrees in the STEM field are earned by women but that the perspectives of women are critical when it comes to designing and creating everyday products. Because of this, the field needs to be filled by people from a diversity of backgrounds so that together they can approach problems from various perspectives and come up with the best and most innovative solutions.    For those who may be interested in pursuing a STEM career of their own, the Digital Divas team talks about the variety and abundance of opportunities the field offers, how many STEM companies are extremely supportive of their employees and their passions, and how you can often start working in a STEM career even while still completing your degree. While critical thinking and problem-solving are two of the key skills taught in the STEM field, the team explains that to begin in the field, it is most important to just be curious and persistent.    To learn more about the Digital Divas program and its workshops or the promising opportunities available to those pursuing a career in STEM, be sure to listen in!    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: On today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the Digital Divas program, a STEM initiative founded at Eastern Michigan University that’s dedicated to introducing young girls to the STEM field and helping them to develop a passion for the work.   Helpful Links: To learn more about the Digital Divas program, be sure to check out its website at: https://www.emich.edu/digitaldivas/index.php

Do you have a fantastic product, but you’re looking for the right branding company to get your product out there? Or do you have a passion for marketing and elevating the voices of others? If so, join me for today’s episode, where I talk with Liz Dennery, a brand consultant, creative director, and founder of SheBrand. Bringing her 20+ years of experience in branding, marketing, and public relations to the table, Liz shares with listeners tips on branding, how to launch a re-brand, and how to give your brand a compelling voice.    Liz begins our conversation by talking about how she discovered her passion for her work. She explains that through the philanthropic and volunteer work she was involved in, she realized she was most motivated and fulfilled by helping to give women and girls a voice and teaching them how to use it more powerfully. With this revelation in mind, she created SheBrand, a creative brand consultancy dedicated to elevating the voices of women.   For listeners who may be interested in marketing or branding work, Liz offers advice on the best ways to first enter into the fields, specifically addressing the importance of internships and how they can offer valuable, practical experience. She also recommends reaching out to those in the business you’re interested in working with and to not be afraid of asking for a meeting or conversation. She explains that getting a job in the marketing field often requires more than just sending in one’s résumé, emphasizing that persistence and enthusiasm can often go a long way.   Liz and I then move into talking more about the work she’s involved in and what she’s learned from her work in branding. She discusses the importance of taking the time to start with a brand’s foundational work first, asking her clients to consider who am I, what do I stand for, what is most important to me, why am I doing this work, and why should people care about it? By taking the time to answer these questions, an individual or company is then better able to create an effective message when communicating with an audience.    Finally, Liz and I discuss the differences between individual or personal brands and those of bigger companies or corporations, her advice for digital influencers, and her thoughts on re-branding. Above all, Liz stresses the importance of connecting to one’s audience, whether that means allowing for one’s brand to evolve or openly communicating in the event of a crisis. To learn more about these strategies and Liz’s expertise, be sure to tune in!    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: In today’s episode, Liz Dennery offers listeners advice on branding, re-branding, and best communicating with one’s targeted audience. She also offers tips to those looking to enter the marketing field, suggesting strategies for how they can best get their foot in the door.    Helpful Links: To learn more about Liz and SheBrand or to get a copy of her book, check out her website at: https://shebrand.com/   You can also follow Liz on Twitter or Instagram: @SheBrandLiz

Are you passionate about filmmaking, or have you ever dreamed about becoming a part of the film industry? If so, then join me on today’s episode of Mentors and Moguls featuring my guest Janet Grillo. Janet Grillo is a critically acclaimed filmmaker, Emmy Award winning producer, and former studio executive. She’s most known for her work directing the award winning film Jack of the Red Hearts; writing, directing, and producing the critically acclaimed film Fly Away; and for working as an executive producer for the Emmy Award winning HBO documentary, Autism: The Musical. She currently works as a full time Arts Professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Kanbar Institute of Film and Television. Be sure to listen in as together Janet and I discuss her career in the film industry, how the industry has evolved over time, and what the future looks like for women aspiring to go into filmmaking.    Janet begins our conversation today by explaining how she began her path into the film industry, discussing her beginnings at New Line Cinema when it was first starting out and how she was then able to grow along with the company. She explains to listeners that in the film industry, technology, form, and content are all closely linked together so that with the advent of video, an entirely new market opened up, creating a new revenue stream that then allowed for more movies, such as independent films, to be made.    In addition to talking about how technology has evolved over the last several decades, Janet also discusses how the environment for women within the film industry has changed over time. She explains that while she has always dedicated herself to promoting female-driven films and stories, for many years, their work just wasn’t being received because it was assumed there was no audience for such projects. Because of the Me Too movement and other cultural shifts, however, she finally sees this changing and is optimistic that the momentum will continue forward in the industry for women.    Janet ends our talk today by explaining the need for all of us to continue cultivating a cultural context that supports the dreams of girls aspiring to pursue film so as to offer them the support required for them to be successful. She also offers advice to any listeners who may want to enter the filmmaking industry and some tips on the best ways to begin this journey.   What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: On today’s episode, you’ll learn about Janet Grillo’s career as a filmmaker and her insight into the film industry. She shares with us how filmmaking has changed over the last several decades and how this evolution has impacted both the stories being told today as well as who is telling them.   Links: You can learn more about Janet Grillo and her work and filmography at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342037/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm  and  https://tisch.nyu.edu/about/directory/film-tvs/1711293371

Today I’m joined by Bia Hamed, the Program Director of Digital Divas at Eastern Michigan University, and Alan Gomez, the Executive Director of the Mr. October Foundation. Together, we talk about the recent collaboration between their two programs, their dedication to introducing young girls to the world of STEM, and how such an initiative can have a wide-reaching community impact.    Bia and Alan discuss why STEM afterschool and summer camp programs are so effective when it comes to young children and how they encourage children to embrace their inquisitive nature and take a hands-on approach to learning. They also talk about their commitment to introducing more young girls to the field, explaining how currently women make up a huge portion of the workforce and community yet continue to go unrepresented. To correct this problem, their programs are hoping to show girls the opportunities that are out there and introduce them to some basic tools that are key to succeeding in the STEM field.   Both Bia and Alan are excited for their collaboration, explaining that it’s a program built for scale and growth. They encourage those in other communities who might be interested in recreating this program to take that initiative and reach out to them for advice on how to begin.    Be sure to listen in to learn more about the types of projects the Digital Divas and Mr. October Foundation are exploring with their participants and how they are inspiring those children who will one day be our future innovators.    What’ You’ll Learn in This Episode: On today’s episode, Bia Hamed from the Digital Divas series and Alan Gomez from the Mr. October Foundation sit down with me to talk about their recent collaboration and dedication to introducing young girls to the STEM world, an initiative they believe will create a significant community impact.   Links: https://www.emich.edu/digitaldivas/ https://mroctober.org/

On today’s episode, I dive into the game industry with Bonnie Burton to talk about girls, gaming, and what the future holds in the sport for her and other women. At just 12 years old, Bonnie became Major League Gaming's first professional female gamer and has been featured on Forbes’ 2020 “30 Under 30” list. She is currently pursuing a career in game development and is a producer at Bungie working on the Destiny franchise. Today she shares with listeners her own experiences with gaming, how it’s become an increasingly positive outlet, and career advice on how to get started in the gaming development field.    We begin today’s episode talking about Bonnie’s start in the gaming world and how her path to becoming a professional gamer began with entering local tournaments with her brothers. While gaming is often stereotyped as a predominately male sport, Bonnie explains that from the beginning, the gaming world was always welcoming and became a place where she could connect with others who shared her same passions.   While Bonnie acknowledges the concerns people sometimes have regarding gaming’s connection to dangerous behaviors, she explains that the sport is about understanding the contexts of a situation and finding balance. Ultimately, gaming is about play, which allows it to serve as a tool for learning, growth, creativity, and development by challenging players and teaching them problem solving.    In addition to the life skills gaming can help to cultivate, Bonnie also describes it as a great social outlet where even those who are introverted or have social anxiety can develop social skills. We even discuss how gaming’s aptitude for providing community has allowed it to serve as a major way for people to continue connecting with each other even during the Covid-19 pandemic.    Bonnie then switches from her role as a gamer to her role as a game developer, sharing the exciting ways the game industry is continuing to evolve. Specifically, she talks about how she predicts more women will continue entering the field and how that will impact both the games that get produced and the field as a whole.    For those contemplating a career in the gaming industry, Bonnie recommends having a STEM background, as game development largely requires logical thinking skills. She shares though that almost everyone in the gaming industry has a different background and that there are many paths into the field. She does advise, however, that it is most important to find a way to make yourself stand out, get experience, and network.    To learn more about Bonnie’s career advice, her experience as a gamer, and her work at Bungie, be sure to listen in!    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode:  In today’s episode, Bonnie Burton shares her experiences both as a gamer and game developer, offering insight into how gaming has become an increasingly positive outlet for both men and women, what skills are most needed to succeed in gaming, and career advice on how to get started in the gaming development field.    Links: You can find Bonnie on Twitter and Instagram @bonniexburton LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/burtonbonnie/

This episode, we’re talking with Loretta McCarthy, managing partner of Golden Seeds. Golden Seeds is an angel investment firm that focuses on building up women entrepreneurs and bridging the gender gap in capital investment. Loretta tells us more about her company and how it got started, and how raising capital and starting out as a female entrepreneur has changed in the last couple decades. For example, in 2003, only 29% of companies in the US were owned by women. In 2017 that number is now 40%, which represents a big change in a short amount of time. More and more women are taking the plunge and using their education, grit, and entrepreneurial spirit to solve problems and build industry.  We also discuss what it takes to be a professional woman in the world today. Having grown up in all-girls’ schools, Loretta experienced the contrast between being a valued contributor with an equal voice, to seeing how she could be undervalued and overridden in a coed environment, simply because she was a woman. Loretta shares some tips for how to get ahead in business as a woman, not only working longer and harder, but also smarter. Loretta advises women who are striving to succeed in business to learn as much as they can early on, and to lean on the support of key people around them.  In addition, Loretta shares how being a woman can be an advantage in business. In her investment firm, she and other angel investors frequently rely on intuition and emotional intelligence to gauge an applicant’s chances at future success. Not only is it important for these applicants to understand their business’s numbers backwards and forwards (even if that means bringing in outside help) but they also need to know how to influence the vision of those around them, practicing leadership and nurturing skills in numerous outlets before they start their business.    Things You Will Learn You’ll be amazed when you hear about the discrepancy between funding that female vs. male entrepreneurs receive for their startups, as well as how it’s changing for the better. Loretta also shares some specific insider tips about how to make your voice heard as a woman, including getting advanced social support for your ideas, and learning to be the person that key decision makers want in the room during important discussions.    Referenced Links  Go to https://goldenseeds.com/ for advice, funding, or to become one of Golden Seeds’ angel investors. You can also reach out by emailing info@goldenseeds.com or follow their blog: https://blog.goldenseeds.com/.

Are you ready to climb that next rung on the corporate ladder but are hesitant when it comes to asking for a promotion? If so, tune in to today’s episode where I speak with Lisa Petersmark, an experienced executive who shares her secret formula when it comes to getting and giving promotions as well as offers her personal advice on how to get ahead and be a leader in a business career.    Lisa comes from a competitive sports background and explains how that has contributed to her competitive edge when it comes to business. A challenge for her isn’t a roadblock but rather an opportunity to overcome it and make something new happen. She explains that this mindset is what creates strong leaders and that if you believe in something passionately enough, you don’t need to have a title to take the reins and demonstrate how you think it’s best to proceed.     Lisa also encourages listeners to create for themselves the environment that they need to thrive. She recommends surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you, support your goals, and ultimately make you better. Furthermore, she explains the benefits to allowing yourself to be uncomfortable and how this creates growth. She also addresses why it’s important and even advantageous to be willing to ask for help when it’s needed.    Lisa and I then discuss the hesitation many people – especially women – experience when it comes to asking for a promotion or raise. Lisa assures listeners though that if you can make an argument for why you think you deserve a promotion, then you should definitely step up and ask for what you believe you deserve. She explains that staying silent will not allow you to move forward in your career and that asking for a promotion makes clear to your boss what your goals for your future are and, at the very least, allows you to begin the conversation as to how to start achieving them.    For more on Lisa’s career experiences, hiring and promotion secrets, and advice on becoming a stronger employee, be sure to listen in to today’s episode!    What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode: On today’s episode, Lisa Petersmark offers advice on how to put yourself ahead in a business career, the benefits to a competitive attitude, and the secrets behind getting and giving promotions.    Follow Lisa on social media:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/lpetersmark?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisapetersmark/