Your Yes Life Now

"Everyday Is a New Day to Be a Better Version of Yourself"   About Today's Guest Myrna Brady has more than 27 years of combined Education, Fitness, Music, and  Business experience. She has a very eclectic and diversified background and has worked in management and or executive positions in each of the following areas, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources Management and Retail Marketing. Myrna has worked for fortune 500 companies like Nabisco & Nike as well as start up internet ventures.   She is national fitness presenter, certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor/coach and motivational speaker and she has been educated by some of the most recognized fitness certification bodies in the world: ACE, NASM, Spinning®, PHI Pilates, ECITS and the YMCA to name a few.   Prior to her career in fitness, she was a Humane Resources Executive and Professional Opera Singer.   Myrna has been a licensed school teacher for the East Coast Instructor Training School, an Instructor Trainer for ACE’s CPR, First Aid, AED program and Corporate Regional Faculty Instructor for TSI/NYSC. She has also been a fitness presenter for ECA, DCAC, TSI, LIFNG conventions and worked in a management capacity for many of the top tiered health clubs in the industry.   She has taught fitness, health and mindfulness workshops in several Westchester, New York City School Districts and at the Boys & Girls Club in Mount Vernon. Myrna prides herself one offering value added & results driven solutions to her clients. Her solutions helps her clients  meet their personal goals and or enhance their bottom line. Myrna currently offers Virtual Fitness Classes and Professional Development Talks and Workshops.   Stay In Touch With Myrna Website Facebook Instagram   Mentioned In This Episode White Fragility by Robin Diangelo How To be An AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi Trevor Noah  

"Believe The Dream" About Today's Guest John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker, and author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine, Duct Tape Selling, The Commitment Engine, and SEO for Growth. His newest work, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur: 366 Daily Meditations to Feed Your Soul and Grow Your Business taps into the wisdom of 19th-century transcendentalist literature and the author’s own 30-year entrepreneurial journey to challenge today’s entrepreneur to remain fiercely self-reliant while chasing their own version of success. Stay In Touch With John The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur Book Website Facebook LinkedIn The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur is a collection of 366 meditations designed to both inspire and challenge the reader through a practice of daily soulful reflection. The book is anchored with readings and quotes from some of the original and most impactful entrepreneurial writing ever created. Authors and essayists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Walt Whitman encouraged individuals to trust and develop the gifts that only they could bring to the world. Best-selling author of Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch curated this rich vein of literature and used his thirty-year entrepreneurial journey to create a work that is inspirational, timely, and relevant for today’s entrepreneur or anyone who seeks to live a more fulfilling and joyful life. The book challenges you to think deeply about why you are doing the work you are doing and living the life you are living.

"What Is The Whisper That Will Not Leave You Alone?" Today's episode is a solo show for this moment in time. While the word is still on a global pause, I invite you today to start moving ahead as you plant the seeds for tomorrow. There are many moments when we look back and see how our seemingly small choices move us either closer to a life we love to life or shift us away from what we hoped - we and our life - would be. Here is the reflection sheet for today's episode. ReflectionSheet_108 To sign up for The Confidence Catalyst Course and a Year of Group coaching click here. Join before May 1st and receive a $100 thank you on both the full and three month payment. Full payment: HOPE2020 Three month payment: HOPE3  

Success Is Generous Today’s Guest Susie Moore is a former Silicon Valley Sales Director turned Life Coach and Advice Columnist. Her work has been featured on the Today show, Oprah, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Time Inc, Marie Claire and she’s the resident Life Coach Columnist for Greatist. Susie’s work and insights have been shared by celebrities and thought leaders including Arianna Huffington, Paulo Coelho, Kris Jenner, and Sara Blakely. Her first book What If It Does Work Out? was named by Entrepreneur as one of the 8 Business Books Entrepreneurs Must Read to Dominate Their Industry. Susie lives in Miami with her husband Heath and Yorkshire To Stay In Touch With Susie Book  Website Instagram Facebook  Let's Connect Community Calls: Tuesday and Thursday 10 am EST Book Club The Confidence Catalyst Course and Community  As a thank you for being a podcast listener and purchase before May 1st enter these codes to receive a $100 gift for your course: One Payment: Hope2020 Payment plan: Hope3      

Staying Centered, Creating Community and Moving Forward So the show notes today are the resources that are helping me get through these unprecedented and challenging times and I hope they help you too. How To Stay Updated Without The Overwhelm The New York Times is offering free updates on the virus and you can find them here: Books on Creating More Revenue Streams and How To Make A Change Entrepreneurial You by Dorie Clark Pivot by Jenny Blake Free books by Matt Church  Meditation Insight Timer  Petra’s Favorite TV Show Schitt’s Creek Petra’s Positivity Playlist Get Up And Dance Community Building Jon Giswold  Trina Gray  Finding People To Help You With Your Business Fiverr  Upwork Jenny Blake and Podcasting 10 Lessons In Three Years of Podcasting – The Pivot Podcast Episode 100  Connect with my awesome podcast editor: James Ede of Be Heard Now who offers a free trial episode for new clients.  Previous Podcast Episodes That May Be Helpful  Chantal Broderick  Shannon Fable Fantastic Podcast by Chalene Johnson on Creating Revenue Today Be well, be safe and I will be here as long as need be to share strategies and ideas to help you not only recover but come out on the other side stronger than before.   

A short meditation to help you find the calm in the chaos.

“Stop the Swirl, Access the Quiet, Tap into the Whispers, Share with the World” Show Notes This week’s show is inspired by my recent experience at the Oprah Winfrey 2020 Vision Tour. Below are a few questions and insights from the day. I encourage you to print out these questions and take some time after this episode to get quiet, turn inward and listen to the whispers. What do you have to do to get closer to a place to doing what you want to do? What is it you really want to do with the rest of your life? What allows you to expand versus fit in? What is it that you can do to live out the truest, highest, expression of you? What is it you are afraid of? What is the thought under your fear? What do you want more of in this life? What do you want less of in this life? Where do you let yourself down? What lights you up? What would your life look like if you removed the word “When” from your life? What thought is standing between you and your dreams? What thoughts empower you to live into your best life? How would your life change if I looked at my life through the lens of intention? Download your FREE Confidence Catalyst Reflection Book Here

Confidence is Trusting That You Will Show Up for Yourself Show Notes In this solo episode I walk you through a few of the steps that I take my clients through when working with them around the feelings of confidence. A few of the highlight takeaways are: Know your strengths and write them down on a post it note or index card. Place the cards and notes where you can see them throughout the day. These reminders will help you remember all the gifts that you already have inside of you Stop looking outside of yourself for answers When talking to yourself always treat yourself as you would treat those you love Begin your day with anticipation and end the day with gratitude The challenging thing is that we have to act confidently before we feel and believe in our own confidence. And to act more confidently we need to focus on our strengths versus our gaps. The Five Reasons That People Often Lack Confidence Are: Setting expectations too high Self judgement The Fear of failure Lack of experience Lack of a skill The Circle of Confidence happens when: We assess the areas we need to strengthen We do the work and begin to practice We stop after a few days or week to assess We modify our actions – keeping what is working and tweaking what could be done differently to get us closer to our goals We repeat The difference between those that so and those that don’t has very little to do with talent and a lot to do with the belief that we will show up for ourselves, without judging ourselves and simply doing the best we can each and everyday. Mentioned in This Show TED Talk Embrace The Remix Character Strength Survey  Downloadable Handout on Confidence     

Movement Can Be a Life Preserver About Today’s Guest Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who specializes in understanding the mind-body connection. As a pioneer in the field of "science-help," her mission is to translate insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support personal well-being and strengthen communities. She is the best-selling author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress. Through the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism, she helped create Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training, a program now taught around the world that helps individuals strengthen their empathy, compassion, and self-compassion. You might know her from her TED talk, "How to Make Stress Your Friend," which is one of the most viewed TED talks of all time, with over 20 million views. Her new book, The Joy of Movement, explores why physical exercise is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Stay In Touch With Kelly The Joy of Movement Website Instagram Facebook Twitter TED Talk Show Notes Kelly McGonigal is the author of a game-changing book called The Joy of Movement and if you are in the fitness industry this is a must-read. We dive in by talking how movement has helped both and Kelly and myself with anxiety, and the importance of embracing movement as a gift that can help us in so many ways, including depression, anxiety, loneliness and finding community. Kelly discovered very early on that exercise made her feel good but it wasn't until she was in college and graduate school that she really understood how important movement would be to her life. It was moving her body that gave her an embodied sense of hope and courage and it was movement that allowed her to start a workout feeling anxious, stressed out, and judging herself and by the end of the workout, she would feel as though she could take on the world. In this episode, we discuss how exercise can help us deal with feelings such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief. We also look at the research that is showing how exercise goes much deeper than just the endorphin rush that we get when we're working out. Kelly also shares how exercise changes our brain in ways that make us more resilient to stress which in turn makes us braver. I ask Kelly what her dreams are for this book and she hopes that this book will change the conversation around movement, to move it away from the myopic conversations around calories and tracking steps. She is hoping that we all get to understand that our bodies are our best vehicles for experiencing so many human joys and it is the vessel that will take us forward into our dream life. We move on to talk about music. Kelly shares that music is a universal human joy. We are reminded how people love listening to music, love making music and how people love moving to music. The research also reveals that when people move together, they form friendships and it strengthens relationships. She goes on to reveal that research is demonstrating that music has a much more powerful effect on mood and on strengthening social relationships when we move our body to the music rather than when we just listen to it. Kelly and I talk about the panic attacks I used to have and how exercise helps us create a new relationship with the physical symptoms of stress or anxiety. When we exercise, our heart rate increases, we breathe faster, we sweat and we blush, which feels a lot like a panic attack. The research shows that one of the reasons that exercise helps with panic attacks is that it starts to color the meaning of those symptoms differently. This is a great piece of information for anyone out there struggling with anxiety and panic. Kelly’s book is full of heartwarming stories about people whose lives have been changed by movement. No matter whether she was talking to rowers or runners, dancers or weightlifters or Cross Fitters or Gardeners, the common them that came through was the feeling of interdependence and how much we rely on one another to survive. This is important for fitness professionals who need to know their value in the world, along with the opportunities that they are creating for people to experience themselves and create communities in new ways. Kelly hopes that the heartwarming stories found within her book will help people see the possibilities that are present in movement. It's not about finding a workout that you like enough that you can stand it so that you will lose weight. This is a completely different thing. This is about embracing our full potential as human beings and enjoying life and participating in life as we also find community. Kelly shares that any form of movement tends to make people feel better. It's called the feel-better effect. One of the things that exercise seems to produce what is called an achievement sensation. This is a physical sensation of having done something good or worthwhile or meaningful or difficult that then transcends into whatever you face next. So as in your workouts, you feel as though you have achieved something challenging it has a ripple effect into your life. I share my journey to healing a broken heart of five years ago and how it was being on a yoga mat, and taking walks in Central Park that allowed me to slowly and steadily heal from grief. The stories in Kelly’s book reminds us that no matter what your age or what you are dealing with, movement can be a life raft. Kelly and I share our own workout stories and the importance of instructors and coaches making us feel seen. One of the side effects of movement is we become socially vulnerable because we enter that physiological and neurochemical state of being open to connection. So if you are an instructor or a coach it is important to remember that you to have an extremely powerful impact on the people in front of you for good or for bad, hopefully for good. Kelly goes on to share that writing this book has given her the complete freedom to share that this is the most important thing in her life. She believes, as do I that movement has the power to change lives and build communities. I hope you get to experience this too.

"Let It Be Easy, Let It Be Fun" About Today's Guest Jenny Blake is the founder of Pivot Method, a growth strategy company that helps forward-thinking individuals and organizations map what’s next. She is an international keynote speaker, and the author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One, which won the Axiom Best Business Books Award in the careers category. Jenny also hosts the popular Pivot Podcast, which CNBC listed among 6 podcasts to make you smarter about your career, and Entrepreneur selected as one of the top 20 female-hosted business podcasts. After two years at a technology start-up in Silicon Valley, followed by five years at Google in Training and Career Development, Jenny moved to New York City in 2011 where she has been running her own consulting business in the years since, helping innovative organizations like Google, Microsoft, and CHANEL incorporate the Pivot Method into their global career development and manager training programs. Her motto: if change is the only constant, let's get better at it. Today you can find Jenny at PivotMethod.com and on her Pivot Podcast. Stay In Touch With Jenny Website Jenny’s Podcast FREE Founder Time Course by Jenny  LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Show Notes For my first interview on Your Yes Life Now Podcast, I had to invite my dear friend Jenny Blake back onto the show. As the author of Pivot, she was the perfect guest for this episode. We begin the conversation with the question “what are we saying yes to?” Jenny shares that saying yes for her is also saying I she is her first priority and that means that her health, her wellness, her rest, her space, her sanity is her first priority – a lesson we can all learn to be better at. The yes for Jenny and her yes life is about honoring who she is and giving herself permission to say no so that she’s really clear and joyful when she does say yes. We talk about burnout and how quickly it can loom upon us if we are not careful. Jenny shares that having awareness of our own tendencies is so crucial. And then what she offers for us when we do find ourselves in a state of burnout, is to flood ourselves with self-compassion. So instead of the self-talk that burnout is a problem, flip the conversation to be able to say to yourself -  I can see that you've been working so hard and I see how much you've done. She goes on to share that If she is worried about someone else's wellness more than her own and she hasn't yet done her basics of movement, hydration, eating well, sleep, then she reminds herself to rewind so that she can stay full to help and love those around her. Jenny’s life mantra is “Let it be easy, let it be fun.” And for her, this is a lens she uses when making decisions about her life and work. As this show was recorded at the end of 2019 we talk about our words for the upcoming year. Mine is Financial Freedom, which moved us into a conversation about money, worth and income. We speak about money being energy and that if we allow ourselves to take the restrictions and the fears and the worries away and we allow full abundance to flow through us, we can serve others, we can serve the world, we can create more, we can reach more, we can donate to charities and we can earn more and share more. We move onto the topic of time and Jenny invites us to question what we have been told about traditional working hours and what it takes to be successful. Jenny wants 2020 to be a year where she can simplify. She shares that she has just blocked off her calendar in 2020. She has blocked out the fourth week of every month along with I blocking off Mondays and Fridays. She is going to experiment with compressing her time and elevating her focus with an estimated total of 1000 working hours in 2020. Jenny’s word is luxurious and we both share that our words for 2020 feel a little uncomfortable and we invite you to pick a word for 2020 that is a stretch word – one that makes you feel a little pushed and challenged. Jenny is both spontaneous and also a genius as systems. She also has a mantra that comes from the agile development word and that is - each time you repeat a task, take one step toward automating it. What that means is saving yourself the time. Being kind to your future self. If you find yourself writing an email, giving directions to your home, or any task that you can anticipate you're going to do move it into a system that can be replicated. Jenny and I both believe that you can be successful on your own terms and that it takes courage and perseverance to figure out what works for you and your life and on your terms. With that as we move into 2020, both Jenny and I wish you a journey that is easy and fun -and has systems in place to help you out along the way. Mentioned In This Show The Seat of The Soul by Gary Zukav It’s Not Your Money by Tosha Silver Creating Money by Sanaya Roman  

"Your Dreams Were Given To You" So here we are, a new year, a new decade, the 100th episode and a new podcast name “Your Yes Life Now!” So I thought if there was anything I could share with you, that I have experienced recently about what it takes to live your yes life now, your best life now, not your perfect life now – it would be my DJ Journey. The journey began on August 18th, 2018, the day of my book launch for The Perfection Detox in NYC. During the event, I had a Q and A, and was asked, “What’s next?” My answer was that I would love to explore DJ’ing, and right then and there, three people came up to me with the sole goal to help me make that dream become a reality. The journey was long, humbling, frustrating and exhilarating. It is one of the most challenging adventures I've undertaken and during the year where I was practicing and mentoring under the eyes and ears of Mike Babbitt, from Yes Fitness Music, I had many ah-ha! Moments and many more moments when I wanted to quit. In this episode, I share some of the lessons I learned that can be applied to both work and life and what it took for me to keep going when all I wanted to do was give up. Life Lessons From The DJ Booth: Bad habits set in early. So review often and fine-tune and Up-level as needed. Number two, liking music and knowing your music are two very different animals. Three to pursue a big audacious goal, you need two things outside of you: A mentor, time-trusted and someone who believes in you. An advocate who sees your vision and opens a door to an opportunity that holds you accountable. The time you are most likely to give up is right before you have earned the wisdom to know that with effort you are capable of doing the work and making your dream a reality. Music in your headphones sounds very different on a big speaker, because sometimes the headphones just lie. Dreams, curiosity, and learning keep you young. Technology is your gateway drug to creativity if you use it correctly. Then a week before I was about to DJ the V.I.P party in Toronto for over 500 people, my second and greatest lesson appeared. I'd gone down to Washington for a tune-up mentorship session. For the past six or so months, I'd been practicing for hundreds of hours, but now looking back – I hadn't been practicing, I had been perfecting a set. Note for note, transition to transition, but that wasn't DJ’ing, that was curating a playlist. During my session, I realized I was no longer spontaneous. I had lost all my curiosity and I had lost all my intuitive skills for trying to be perfect. I had forgotten that nothing worth doing is easy and that perfection will kill your creativity. Life just as a DJ set is best lived and created when being in the moment, and reacting to what is versus what do you have planned for. It was a disaster and I only had 5 days before the big event. I have never been so scared, and have never wanted to quit more – ever. And so what I spent the rest of that week doing, in the five days left before the event, was being in the moment, mixing songs in different ways, trying different intros, outros, fades, beat matching, not beat matching, fading out, fading in, echoes, reverbs. Not being perfect but working with the music in the moment. And then the evening arrived, and it was magical. It was messy and spontaneous and the dance floor guided me the entire evening. It was a conversation,  and a relationship between me, the music and the dancefloor. The dance floor was packed until midnight, and what it taught me is that it's about being in the moment, not being in your head. Leadership, your voice, your course, your new podcast, your new keynote, your new class, your new romance, it doesn't happen in your head, it happens in your heart. It happens through curiosity, it through connection. It happens through doing the work. It happens from your failures. It happens from feeling that fear and recognizing that this is a sign that you need to lean in, not back away. And that's why I have changed the name of this podcast from The Perfection Detox to Your Yes Life Now! Not your perfect life now, not your flawless life – your YES life. I’m excited to hear what you will say “YES!” to this year.    

"Always Begin With The Customer In Mind" About Today's Guest Brynn Putnam is the founder and CEO of ​MIRROR​, a fitness technology company poised to revolutionize the way people work out by bringing the boutique studio experience in-home. For more than a decade, Brynn has been well-regarded as a pioneer of the fitness industry. She started her career as a professional ballet dancer for the New York City Ballet, spending years training to peak performance while also working in some of New York City's top gyms and boutique fitness studios. In 2010, Brynn took her learnings from elite trainers and physiologists across the nation and founded Refine Method, the acclaimed fitness studio dubbed “Best New Workout” by ​New York​ magazine. Now, Brynn is applying her deep expertise in fitness, both as an entrepreneur with a proven track record and an accomplished athlete, to transform the fitness industry again. Brynn graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Russian Literature and Culture and is based in New York City. Stay In Touch With Brynn Refine Website Mirror Website Instagram Facebook To Receive a FREE Downloadable Confidence Reflection Book click here: To Stay in Touch with me  Facebook Instagram   Show Notes Click here Thank you so much for listening today, we are taking a brief hiatus to rebrand the show but subscribe below so you will receive notice when we come back on air shortly: iTunes Spotify    

"Fitness is Too Important To Be Boring" About Today's Guest Michael Piercy is the owner-founder of The LAB, a member of the Under Armour training team and a TRX Master Course Instructor and Global Presenter. Mike is the recipient of two of the most prestigious awards in the fitness industry the 2017 IDEA Personal Trainer of The Year Award as well as 2013 TRX Overall Instructor of the Year award given by his peers and colleagues for a great attitude, community spirit, and inspirational teaching. Michael came into the fitness industry full time following a career in professional baseball in which he played for Major league organizations consisting of (Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Montreal Expos. Mike has had the pleasure of working with and creating programs for many athletes from a vast array of major sports including competing athletes in the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Stay In Touch With Michael Website Facebook Instagram Show Notes Michael got into fitness to stay off the streets. At the age of 15, his mum signed him up to help out at a local health club to help him stay out of trouble. Michael also became fascinated with his elder brother's weight set and to help him not use it all the time, his mum purchased a Hulk Hogan Kit for him to use. Jump rope, a cassette tape, and some instructions later – Michael began to deepen his commitment to the world of fitness. He got his start in a large gym chain which enabled him to experience the many different aspects of a health club. Michael encourages new trainers to also try this entry point when starting out. You will learn a lot about what to do and then also a lot about what not to do. You can gain a tremendous amount of experience in a shorter period of time when you have so many different elements of fitness in one location. Michael moved into the world of baseball when he was drafted by the pirates. He spent 99.9% of his time in the minor league which taught him many valuable lessons. In the minors, you have to do everything yourself for the most part. You're your own strength coach, you travel a lot, you learn to eat a little bit better and in turn, become your own advocate for a healthier lifestyle. When talking about what Michael learned from his time in baseball that he carried with him into the world of fitness he replied with, “It would be split-second adjustment.” The ability to be able to adjust to certain things when things sometimes go your way and when things sometimes don’t. During his time traveling in baseball he also learned of the importance of being able to get on with many different personalities, cultures, and people from around the globe, this too has also served him well inside of the fitness world. Michael shares how his world expanded when he attended his first fitness conference. He was captivated by the energy and the other attendees and saw there was an entire fitness world outside of New Jersey that was waiting for him to step into. After working hard and applying several times, he became a brand ambassador for TRX and his career was put on a jumpstart. Michael shares the importance of asking the right questions when it comes to building your future and to also set meaningful and inspiring goals. He invites us to do goal setting every year. Write down your goals, write down what you want your life to be like, write down how you want your business to be. Write it down in as much detail and breakdown into as many micro-steps as possible. Just like a fitness program, this is a life program. Another lesson that Michael learned from baseball was that “you have to stay on an even line across.” This meant you can't ever really get caught up in the hype, and can't ever get lost in the doubt. To always believe that you're better than your bad days and to never believe the hype that you're so good on your good days. Remain consistent and keep a consistent work ethic, because the game will humble you. In baseball, the guys in the hall of fame, are only good 30% of the time. Michael talks about the importance of looking at your processes that you create and the people you surround yourself with. The importance of creating a tribe of people who you trust and who you can grow with. He struggles, just like most of us to delegate, but Michael also believes in the delegate or die principle too. Michael encourages us to find our lane, to really discover where and with whom you do your best work. Take the time to figure out where you want to be. And in times of doubt ask yourself these three questions: 1. What are you worried about? 2. What are you protecting? 3. What are you waiting for?

"When It's Not Working Hit Delete and Move On" About Today's Guest Sara, CEO of SCW Fitness Education and WATERinMOTION®, is a visionary leader that has transformed the fitness education community. A successful business owner and advisor, she is a keynote speaker, published author, podcast presenter and sought-after industry leader. Sara has launched nine successful MANIA® fitness-professional conventions and over 35 live and online certifications. Her company has touched more than 100,000 Fitness Professionals face-to-face and engaged another 300,000+ in virtual connections. Having produced over 600 Fitness Instructor Training videos, written several books and been published repeatedly in magazines and newspapers, Sara is well-known for her creativity and impact on the health and wellness industry. She has a unique ability to share her passion and devotion towards fitness education through her humor, enthusiasm and her effervescent no-nonsense personality. Sara is committed to sharing her knowledge and expertise as a fitness industry leader for the past 3 decades through speaking engagements across the world. She is a favorite presenter for the Athletic Business Show, Medical Fitness Association, International Council on Active Aging, JCC, Club Industry, YMCA, Illinois Park & Recreation Association, AYP, CanFitPro, IDEA, FitPro, Filex, IHRSA, Marriott Vacation Club, Gold’s Gym, WIFA, Nevada Recreation & Park Association as well as over a dozen international events throughout the world. Sara is also the former Owner and CEO of Les Mills Midwest, which she successfully led for over 10 years. Sara is an attorney who graduated from Washington University School of Law and completed undergraduate work from Cambridge University in England. Sara was selected as a Gold Medal winner distinguishing her as a business leader who has contributed to the economic health of her community. She also is the proud recipient of the Illinois State Business Woman of the Year and AEA’s Global Award for Contribution to the Aquatic Industry. Having been a former adjunct faculty member for the Kenneth Cooper Institute, ACSM, NASM, ACE and AFAA, Sara serves on the Gold’s Gym Think Tank, is on the Women In Fitness Association (WIFA) Board of Directors, and is a proud inductee into the National Fitness Hall of Fame. Sara has left an indelible mark on the fitness industry as she continues to make her impact on fitness professionals worldwide. Stay In Touch With Sara SCW Website Sara's Website SCW Facebook Sara's Facebook Page SCW Instagram Show Notes We begin the show by reflecting back on how I remember first meeting Sara. Her event was the first fitness convention that ever I presented. I still remember the nerves that I felt, as I took to the stage for the first time. Sara’s memories go back a little further to the time when I was introduced to the Reebok Faculty as the new “face of Reebok.” Well, maybe you can imagine how that went down. Just like anything I needed to earn the trust (and respect) of the team and that was going to take a few years. Sara shares that inside her business she is always looking to hire people with stronger and different talents to her own. She believes that working this way elevates both her business and also her own path to success. Sara talks about how her father encouraged her from an early age to share her voice and have it heard by others and she goes on to talk about the importance of surrounding yourself with good people. People who will lift you up and see the best in you. She shares that while you can’t choose your family, you can choose your extended family and the people who will be there for you when things are going great and also there for you when you are in the struggles of life. During the more challenging times, if things are not going as planned Sara shares how her husband invited her to simply, “hit delete and move on.” Not always easy, but always worth it. Sara currently runs nine very successful conventions but we go back to a time where she had to cancel her first event due to a lack of attendance. She shares how she managed to get to the others side through the kindness of some vendors and presenters, and even in her darkest times, her husband would remind her of all that was still so good and positive in her life. We go back in time to the time when Sara first moved into the world of fitness. It began through the world of dance and she shares that it was only when she was dancing that she felt beautiful. She was also a runner at school and it was the combination of athletics and dance that brought the world of aerobics into her world. During her start as a fitness instructor, Sara attended the IDEA convention, which was and still is one of the most recognized fitness conventions in the United States. She loved every moment but realized that the cost was going to be prohibitive to attend every year. It was this thought that propelled her to create and develop her own fitness events. She began by renting space in a hotel, asking friends for help and Sara City Workouts was born. Sara shares her thought that not everyone needs to do fitness full time, and that teaching fitness part-time is a fantastic way to contribute to the industry. She then shares if you do want to try to move into fitness full time, to try different things and see which types of projects and people resonate with you and where you do your best work. Sara encourages us to take risks and to learn from our mistakes and the “seeming” failures that happen as we go for our dreams. She reminds us that what social media shows is only half of the story and for any success to happen we will have to have setbacks along the way. Sara believes the future of the wellness industry will be both in bricks and clicks, meaning both the online portals along with face to face connection. Sara believes that one of the best ways to get where you want to go is to simply show up, work hard and persevere. She invites us to choose carefully the people we choose to listen to and to schedule and plan our time carefully so that we can create our best future.

Imagine, Get Clear, Create I loved this conversation with Mark and we begin by him sharing that the reason he got into the fitness industry was because he was not very excited with his body when he was in middle school. Wanting to be an actor he knew he would need to take some to feel confident in his body, but unlike many in the wellness industry, he did not enjoy his first experiences with exercise. However the period of many years, he slowly fell in love with fitness. He became fascinated by the experience of seeing the body change in response to different inputs and metrics. Mark moved to New York in his twenties, in addition to acting some of the time he needed to make money doing other things and essentially developed a clientele among fellow performers, actors, Broadway performers, teaching them about fitness. Fast forward to the summer of 2010 when a number of serendipitous things happen, not the least among them it was the summer he adopted a practice of reading two to sometimes three books per week and became very serious about visioning and goal setting exercises. Within a 12 month period of making the decision to focus a little bit more on his training business, he started Mark Fisher Fitness. Mark talks about the importance of goal setting in all areas of our life. He believes there needs to be a balance of having the ability to see a clear vision of the future, something that's compelling, something that's inspiring, a future version of yourself you want to live into AND also the importance of developing the executive functions that allow you to do the day to day things that will move your vision into goals and then turn those goals into smaller goals and then turning those into habits and skills. Mark shares, “I'm fond of saying, having a clear vision of where you want your life to go will not guarantee that it's going to happen. However, to not have any vision for where you want your life to go will make it very unlikely that you will accidentally create the life that you truly want to be living.” A large part of what Mark does is time management and speaks to the idea of a planning fallacy, meaning as humans we are not great at understanding how long things actually take to complete and this includes our fitness goals. He also encourages us to look at money and compensation for our time as an energy exchange. That when we can take in information, consolidate it and then transfer it onto others to help them live better lives, is all worth being compensated for – and well. Mark gives us some great questions to consider when starting or continuing an entrepreneurial venture: Is what I am creating going to help the people I want to serve? Is this something I am excited about and prepared to do the hard work for? Is this something that will make sense financially? We talk about authenticity and how important it is to be yourself when doing your work. Mark shares his journey on how we flipped fitness on its head especially when it came to traditional marketing by using the power of magic and unicorns to stand out from the crowd. The one element that was consistent throughout this part of his business growth was keeping his (target) audience in mind and creating offerings that would resonate with their dreams and desires. Mark also encourages us to have the courage to have the confidence to narrow down our market so that in fact we may not attract and appeal to everybody. Know who you want to serve, know who it is you want to help and then write them a love letter with your work. Stay In Touch With Mark Mark Fisher Website Business for Unicorns Website Instagram Facebook Books Mentioned In This Episode This is Marketing by Seth Godin To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink Blog Post mentioned In The Show The Quick and Dirty System for Goal Setting  

"Keep Moving Forward and Look For The Gaps" About Today's Guest Colin Milner is the CEO of the International Council on Active Aging and founder of the active-aging industry in North America. Milner is also a leading authority on the health and well-being of the older adult and has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of "the most innovative and influential minds" in the world on aging-related topics. An award-winning writer, Milner has authored more than 300 articles. He has been published in such journals as Global Policy, and the Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics. He also contributed a chapter to the World Economic Forum book Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? Milner's speeches have stimulated thousands of business and government leaders, industry professionals & older adults worldwide. Whether Fortune 100 companies or governmental organizations, Milner's efforts have inspired a broad spectrum of groups to seek his counsel. In addition, Milner received the CanFitPro "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his contributions to the Canadian fitness industry, and had been recognized as one Canada's Top 100 Health Influencers by Optimize Magazine and as one of the "Who's Who" in the Fitness Industry, by Club Industry Magazine. Milner's tireless efforts have leading-edge publications, television networks and radio stations seeking his insights. Among these outlets are: CNN, US News and World Report, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Dow Jones Market Watch, Money Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, WebMD, The National Post, Globe and Mail, Parade Magazine, and Fox Business Radio.   Show Notes As always, we begin the show by finding out how the guest got into fitness. For Colin, it was wanting to become a professional soccer player. After traveling and putting on some weight he decided to become (what was called then) a weight training instructor for the club where he was working out. Colin was pegged later in his career as someone who could also be successful at sales, although he had little interest at the time. He accepted the position of Assistant Manager and realized that during the selling process he could also create meaningful relationships with the potential clients. He realized that he was able to help people reach their goals by getting them involved in the process. One of his mentors told Colin that “nothing will happen until somebody makes that commitment ” and that his job of representing the club was to help them make that life-changing decision. Colin realized that he could help others live a better life through fitness and all of that started with them making the decision, to begin the journey to a healthier lifestyle. Colin was one of the first to really embrace the active aging market. He saw that the fitness industry kept going after the same market, and believes that as much as we have all this creativity, we also have a lack of vision. When it comes to the demographic of the boomer market he believes that what we sometimes fail to remember is that more people have gone into the 50 plus segment than ever before. And that segment has grown in wealth. Their disposable income has also grown from 50% to 70% which is a huge leap. He invites us to decide if you want a piece of that action or not? Or do you still all want to scrape over the 20%, who we are already working with. Colin believes we haven’t done a great job of using our creativity with this generation. He goes onto say, “If you don't explore this market, you have nobody else to blame but yourself for being ineffective with it. If you put in a poor effort to serve this segment of the population, by thinking that you can just do the same thing and you don't get the results and then you turn around and say, oh, but they don't come to my facilities, all you have to do is look in the mirror because you haven't made the commitment. You have to explore, make the commitment and then sustain that commitment.” Colin reminds us that the older generation can sniff out BS, but that is what also makes it really exciting. The active aging market is diverse because as you get older, you become more yourself. We have more, life experience. We have more disparities in income, in functional levels and so on. This is not a one size fits all approach that you can just use. Colin says that the first thing to do is to make a commitment to yourself that you will actually understand who you are serving before you serve them. This incredible generation wants to reignite their lives and they want to discover delayed dreams. Colin gives us a great reminder that the only people who think health isn't worth it are healthy people. Once you start becoming unhealthy, whether it is through a health condition or whatever, a lot of times you'll pay you whatever you have to - to regain that health. Colin reminds us that there is also the importance of building social connections. So much so in the UK right now they offer social prescriptions for patients to go and connect with people. He also shares that the new definition of healthy aging according to the World Health Organization is now the ability to keep your functional abilities at a high level. It is no longer about the absence of disease. We touch on a few of the failures along Colin’s journey and how they shaped him for the better. At 29 he needed to declare bankruptcy and it was his sports background that helped him survive this turbulent time. The discipline of showing up even when things were tough. Colin shares that what he is really excited about for the future is that wellness encompasses virtually everything. This means you can get into it in a multitude of different ways. You don't have to be a fitness trainer. You can be someone who is a spiritual leader and then blend into all the other dimensions. You can be someone who is there to help people emotionally. He also reminds us of the startling fact that by the year 2020, the second leading cause of premature death and disability is expected to be depression. He encourages us to think of ourselves as agents of change as each and every one of us will experience an awful lot of changes. He sees one huge opportunity that has been untapped is what he calls change management. Whether you lose a boyfriend, whether you lose a husband, whether you lose a house, money, whatever it is, we all go through change and to help someone navigate that change, is a terrific opportunity, especially as they get older. As we begin to close our conversation Colin reminds us that even in times of challenging change that tomorrow will come and the sun will rise and so will we. Stay In Touch With Colin ICAA Website Active Aging Week Website Facebook Twitter Linkedin

"We All Lift Each Other Up" About Today's Guest Pete McCall is a strength coach, personal trainer, author of Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple, education consultant, public speaker and host of the All About Fitness podcast. As a consultant, Pete has experience delivering education and content solutions for a variety of health and fitness organizations including the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Reebok, 24-Hour Fitness, Core Health & Fitness, ActivMotion Bar, Hyperwear and Terra Core Fitness. Frequently quoted as a fitness expert in publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, SELF, Glamour, and Shape Magazine and featured as a fitness expert for TV news outlets including WRC-NBC (DC), Fox News, Fox 5 San Diego, and NBC7 San Diego, Pete is a sought-after media resource for accurate, in-depth insights on how to get results from exercise. Stay In Touch With Pete Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Podcast Thanks to: This Episode is brought to you by the help of Yes Fitness Music. To try their no-credit card needed, 14-day free trial click here: Show Notes We begin the show by Pete reminding me that we had met in the early nineties when he was an assistant, checking presenters in at the ECA conference in NYC. This leads to us talking about the importance of creating our own opportunities, including volunteering at local conferences. Pete shares that his fitness journey began when he was working on Capitol Hill. He grew up in the DC area and after college returned to Washington, and it was while he was working on Capitol Hill that he began working at the front desk at a local gym. After he earned a certification from the American Council on Exercise, he eventually went on to work for ACE directly in 2008. Along the way, he got his master's degree but the one thing that he took from politics was the power of networking and getting to know people. Pete talks about the benefits that can come from working within a gym chain. It is here where you can get a lot of reps, teaching, and training. Pete suggests that one way to have a solid career is to work within an organization, do the most you can, work 25 to 30 hours a week and make a very good living. Then to expand your career ask your company for ways that you can expand your services, and help them by offering workshops, etc. for both trainers and customers. We talk about the hustle and grind that has to happen behind any successful career or venture. We both discuss how it can look easy to be at the top, especially with social media but we all have to remember that there was a climb to get there. Pete shares his thoughts on the importance of learning both within and outside the industry that you are in. He talks about the need to develop skillsets in leadership, marketing, sales, and social media. Staying on the topic of social media we talk about how to be resilient and move forward when there is so much opportunity for people to share their opinions of us on the internet. We talk about whether to niche down in one area of expertise or to cast a wider net. Pete shares something a friend told with him many years ago when he said, “you want to be an inch wide and a mile deep.” However, at the end of the day, we both believe the most important thing is to do something and get started. Pete talks about the importance of doing your best- daily. On bringing your best effort forward to every day, regardless of whether it's a good day or bad one. It is when we do our best and create a positive environment for others, everything will fall into place. We close out the conversation with Pete sharing a daily practice that we can all use to stay on track and moving toward our goals, called S.W.OT.Strengths - look at your strengths. What are you doing well? Weaknesses – what are your weaknesses and can you turn them into an opportunity? Opportunities – where are they and where can you create more? Threats – where do you feel challenged? Which elements are in your control and which are outside of your control? So this week I encourage you to remember your strengths, look at areas where you could improve as opportunities to grow instead of signs of weakness. Explore new opportunities and follow through on existing gateways to greatness and view your threats as motivation to rise.  

"What is Fear Trying to Reveal to Me?"  About Today's Guest Todd Durkin, MA, is a world-renown trainer, coach, author and motivational speaker who trains dozens of elite, high-profile NFL, MLB, and MMA athletes, including two Super Bowl MVPs (Drew Brees& Aaron Rodgers), Olympic gold medalists, Heisman Trophy winners, and MMA champions. Todd is a 2-Time Trainer of the Year, the 2017 Jack LaLanne Award recipient, a member of the Under Armour Training Team, and a Top-100 Most Influential People in Health & Fitness. He was a featured trainer on the popular TV show, NBC STRONG, which is now airing on Netflix. His gym, Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA, is a Top-10 Gym in America. His two books, The IMPACT Body Plan and The WOW BOOK, have changed thousands of lives world-wide. Todd is also the President/CEO of Todd Durkin Enterprises where he conducts motivational keynotes/presentations, educational & leadership workshops to high-performers in all sectors of business & life. If you need a dynamic, motivational speaker for your business, club, team, or organization in 2019, now is a great time to book Todd. As a 20+ year veteran in the fitness and coaching industry, Todd leads the "best-in-class" Todd Durkin Mastermind Coaching program that is designed to help fitness pros in business, leadership, marketing, training, and personal development. He takes great pride in his coaching program and has devoted 10+ years of his career in helping others achieve massive success, significance and IMPACT as well. Whether one is a green-trainer looking to ascend up the success-ladder or someone is a 20+ year veteran looking for new motivation, tactics, and techniques, the TD Mastermind is an incredible family of devoted "fire-breathing" dragons committed to becoming BETTER! Show Notes Todd Durkin is as kind and energetic behind the scenes as he is on stage. This week’s conversation is filled with useable tips and strategies, in addition, Todd will refill your inspiration tank so you have the energy to go out and execute on your dreams. We begin our conversation by Todd reminding us that we are not in the sports, exercise or wellness business but we are in the people business. We move on to talk about how Todd became the person he is today, and like many people of impact, his journey was one of trials and challenges. As an athlete at the peak of his career, he was injured and with three herniated discs, spinal stenosis and degenerative back disease he had to give up on his dream and stop playing professional football in Europe. Todd’s journey back to wellness was not just the physical aspect of rehabbing from the serious injury, it also included going through a lot of meditation, Yoga and was the introduction of Todd getting in touch with the gentler side of recovery, including Zen body therapy and Feldenkrais movement therapy. This took Todd to another side of fitness which he had not been accustomed to as an athlete. He realized that there was another side to performance especially at a high, high level that was different to just doing power cleans, and bench presses - the things that were often equated to high performance as an athlete. It was at this moment Todd realized that if he really wanted to tip the iceberg and get the top, that he was going to have to marry the modalities of traditional strength and conditioning with the inner wisdom of the body. We talk a lot about Todd’s faith and how has always been determined to be his true self and he has always understood that it is okay to be different. He encourages us all to not be like everybody else. Todd believes that each of us has different gifts that we've been blessed with and that it's our opportunity and responsibility to make sure that we share that in the most, most authentic way. We move the conversation to the challenge of facing our fear and Todd suggests we simply “get over it.” With a smile, he reminds us that he too has fear all the time and but it is also a sign. To Todd, fear is an opportunity and the day he doesn't have fear or feel a bit of anxiety is the day he will step out of the industry. Todd believes that what is important is the quiet time as it is here where you can discover what you are BIW in? What are you best in the world at? What are you great at? And when you really honor and stay true to that - it allows you to be the best at your unique gift. It is here where you are going to attract who you're supposed to attract and do your best work. When asked about how to move forward Todd replies, "by getting more time away from what you are trying to move forward to." He goes on to say that when we step away from the minutia of all that we are working on - we get a lot of big ideas – which is called vision. Todd believes that if we're always in the weeds doing the work that we love to do, we often forget about the vision. The harder you work the harder your recovery needs to be. Todd talks about the importance of planning and also having systems in place that can support that plan. He encourages us to constantly be writing down and planning our goals. Todd has a specific system that's called an annual roadmap along with an ongoing strategic plan, and he encourages us all to get really clear on our long and short term goals. He brings up a great point and that is that most of us have two to three hours a day, that he calls swing hours. Those swing hours could go to either watching Netflix or TV or doing something important. He encourages us to design our ideal week, to know when our peak productivity cycles are in any given day and then create blocks of time around our peak productivity cycles where we get to do our best work. We move on to talk about Todd’s recent knee surgery and he believes that this was one of the greatest blessings as it forced him to get still and get clear. It also made him realize that it was time for some changes in his business so that he could reach more people without burning out. By stepping back and slowing down, he realized he needed to build a schedule that would allow him to be in a creative mode more often. I ask Todd about his thoughts on why we often have a difficult time charging our worth and I loved his answer. Todd views money as energy. “It comes in and goes like energy. You have to attract energy. You have to attract money. When you attract money and if you attract it and hold on to it, you block energy and that blocks it. If you keep it circulatory and keep it moving and investing in good things and giving back, it's going to come back to you 10 fold. But the minute you hold on you will have energy blocks. So when you asked me about my energy, even with money, it's changed a lot and I'm always affirming myself. I am deserving of attracting it, manifesting it, giving it back to new great things and to other people. And that's how I've shifted. And I know there's a lot of people that may be listening in today, money is just a form of energy and that you are deserving.” We close the conversation by touching on Todd’s morning ritual. For him, it's imperative to get his mind right and to get his mind ticking and operating at the highest level. Todd typically spends about an hour each morning to prepare, this consists of quiet time, some reading and a workout. Todd also reminds us to listen to the whispers and so as you come to the end of the show, be sure to take the quiet time and listen to your whispers. Then write down your dream goals and create a strategic plan which will set you up to take action and for success.

"Be Amazing, Wherever You Are Planted"  About Today's Guest Trina Gray is the 2018 IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year. She is an internationally recognized fitness entrepreneur who owns two health clubs in rural Michigan, where she has lead a crusade against obesity and sedentary living. Her clubs, Bay Athletic Club and Bay Urban Fitness, transform lives and celebrate people. She created the Corporate Fit Challenge workplace wellness program and is sold worldwide. She founded an online coaching team for women in fitness through Beachbody, called Team Rockstar Fit, and is one of the top coaches in the country. She is a mom of two amazing teenagers and teaches others to live their life with purpose and freedom. Stay In Touch With Trina Website Team Rockstar Fit Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Mentioned In The Show The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy How successful people think by John C. Maxwell Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert The Mastery Sessions Podcast by Robin Sharma The Life Coach School Podcast by Brooke Castillo Show Notes We begin the conversation as I normally do, by going back in time to how I first my guest. I really only met Trina quite recently, when we were both speaking at a Women’s Leadership Event at World IDEA and I was immediately a fan. Trina shares that she originally went to school for journalism, envisioning herself on 60 minutes as a famous broadcaster and journalist, traveling the world. She was on that path in college writing for her local school newspaper and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, but along that journey she realized had lost sight of her own personal self-care habits, not eating well, not exercising and not sleeping enough. Deciding she needed to get herself in shape she went to the University of Wisconsin Recreation Center for Students but her first experience was one of not fitting in, feeling out of place and so she turned around and left. This first impression memory would serve her well down the road, as she built her own career in fitness many years later. It took a personal invitation from her mother to a family-owned community health club that began her exploration into the world of fitness. With her mom beside her, Trina went to a high-low class at Prairie Athletic Club in 1997. While she went to the back of the room she felt as though she fit in and became a regular. Through another invitation, this time by an instructor she eventually moved from taking the class to teaching the class. Trina eventually moved from her home town to a rural town in Michigan and I found herself as a young married woman, now unemployed in a community where she knew no one and no one knew her. So she did the only thing she did know how to do and that was to teach group fitness classes. She built incredible relationships through her classes and fast forward several years she expanded her career to span across the United States as Master Trainer for Turbo Kick, whose creator we had on the show recently – Chalene Johnson. By traveling across the USA and seeing many other clubs, a seed was planted that maybe one day Trina would own a club. A few years later, through relationship building, a ton of heart and hustle Trina opened the doors to a large medical-based health club. In the preparation phase, Trina understood that she had no experience in running a club and so she reached out across the country to the people she had met on her travels and asked them two questions: If you could do it all over, what would you do differently? What are the biggest complaints you get from your members? Throughout our conversation, Trina talks about how to move through the negatives and the disappointments. She reminds us to keep asking the important questions: Why am I doing this? Who am I doing this for? Where am I going? She also encourages us to remember the importance of creating more than one revenue of income. She shares that it was never her vision to live paycheck to paycheck and do fitness just because she loved it. She believes (as do I) that wellness should pay well. Wellness is as important as acute care that and that if you're going to be in the fitness industry, don't be in the fitness industry to be broke. Trina is also a Beachbody Coach and she leveraged her coaching by teaching what worked for her in business to other women in the industry. Through her experience and skill set, she shows others how to make an impact and an income, without always have to show up physically in person. She shares a fantastic exercise for the times when you are searching for more clarity: Pull out a blank piece of paper and write down: What would your ideal day look like and be something that you can get behind right now? What time would you get up? When would you do your own workout? Who would you work with? Where would you be working? What would your schedule look and feel like? When would you have time off? What kind of time would you spend with your family? This is a terrific way to get super clear on your personal values and vision for the future. Trina ends our conversation with a fantastic reminder that “you have to find discipline over motivation.” So perhaps take some time to do the self-reflection exercise above and use that as your discipline driver for your future.

"Your Questions are My Feedback, Ask Questions, Ask Questions, Ask Questions" About Today's Guest Shannon Fable, Executive Vice President of Learning & Product Development for the FIT4MOM® Franchise, is an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space. With over 20 years in the industry, Shannon has presented and educated in six continents on group fitness, personal training, management, business development, and time management. With a proven track record for assessing needs and developing programs, systems, and structure for a wide variety of businesses in the fitness industry, she has helped impressive brands such as Anytime Fitness, Schwinn®, Silver Sneakers, Power Systems, ACE and BOSU®. Shannon, honored as the 2013 IDEA and 2006 ACE Instructor of the Year, is a certified Book Yourself Solid® Business Coach interested in helping fitness professionals navigate the industry and make more money. She is the owner of Sunshine Fitness Resources, sits on the Advisory Board for the Association of Fitness Studios and serves as Chair of the American Council on Exercise’s Board of Directors. Shannon has presented at a number of industry shows such as ECA, IDEA World, IDEA PTI, Asia Fitness Conference, SCW, DCAC, IHRSA, Club Industry, Canfitpro, and AFPA. She is a frequent contributor to industry publications such as the IDEA Fitness Journal, Club Solutions Magazine, IHRSA, the Anytime Fitness Blog and more. Most notably, along with her developer husband, she co-created and founded GroupEx Pro®, a revolutionary software designed to streamline and operationalize the management and marketing of group fitness programs for health clubs, which they recently sold to Daxko. Shannon holds ACE Personal Training, Group Fitness, and Health Coach certifications, as well as AFAA National Certification. Stay In Touch With Shannon Shannon's Website Fit4Mom Website Facebook ACE Fitness Facebook Instagram Twitter Mentioned In The Show No Sweat by Michelle Segar, PH.D. Show Notes As always, I begin the show by asking my guest how they got into the industry of fitness. Shannon shares that “I traded an eating disorder for an exercise disorder and the rest is history.” Shannon’s expertise of her past was as a former dancer and cheerleader, and as she liked the music and the movement found in the world of group glasses, that is where she put her focus at first. After joining a mentoring program, and after not much time in the program, Shannon was soon teaching on a regular basis. She was part of the first group of fitness instructors to teach Body Pump in the United States and it was that experience that began her fast track forward within the industry. We talk about what it takes to gain the courage to move forward and up and Shannon shares that at first, it was the fact that she was naïve and didn’t realize how hard it would be. Then she believes it is about asking yourself what is the worst that could happen, and then doing your best to swim to success. Shannon also shares an important point, that when people see something in us and give us an opportunity – believe them. They would not put you in a position to soar if they didn’t believe you would be able to meet the challenge ahead. We talk about what it takes to become as fully prepared as possible and Shannon invites us to ask questions, ask questions, ask questions. Shannon reminds us that we do not need to know everything about everything. Find your love, find what you are passionate about and then do a deep dive into that area and then get help and reach out to others for their expertise when you need it. She encourages us to experiment, experience and explore all the various options within the industry. Also, understand how what you do also fits into the bigger picture of the industry in general. We both discuss how we have been sidelined by an illness or unexpected life event and the importance of cultivating a way to still keep income coming in, even in the event that you cannot show up physically. We share our thoughts on the gig economy and trading time for dollars, where many of us ask for more money and do more things, but haven’t fully thought out how do we make money without showing up? It is a discussion about not putting all of our eggs into one basket, and if we are putting all our stock into our body then what happens if that body crashes? We both agree on the importance of setting aside dedicated time, proactive time to look outside of our industry and learn about business in general. Shannon shares that her morning reading includes: Books on Productivity, Leadership and Sales & Marketing. Shannon encourages to look at what other people have done, look at their map, study their map, be inspired by their map, And also trust that yours might be on a parallel track, but it's going to diverge at some point if you're going to make it and sustain it. Use others for motivation and inspiration but at the end of the day, you will need your own GPS to create your unique path to success. Shannon invites us to reconsider our ideas about what fitness means. To drop our thoughts about what we think it has to be and embrace what people want to do and then help that plan work for them. She believes that it has got to become more individualized, more holistic, more about moving and being, versus exercise and doing. That fitness is truly a mosaic and that we have to embrace how a person weaves it together so it can fit into their life, and then create that experience for them. We wrap up the show by revisiting the idea of experiencing and experimenting. Learn by reading, learn by watching others, learn by getting out into the world and doing many things. This will help you find your own GPS and navigate your road to success.

It Is Important to Honor People's Time About Today's Guest Keith Irace is the Vice President of Group Fitness at Equinox Fitness Clubs, where he has been a member of the team for nearly 16 years. An industry veteran who has held leadership positions and taught classes for over 25 years, he has been part of vibrant fitness communities in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. While a graduate student in his home town of Chicago, a part-time front desk job at a fitness club sparked a passion for the industry. After earning his BS in Communications from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and an MS from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Keith immediately became a full-time fitness professional. A move to Los Angeles led to a 7-year stint as a writer/producer/performer/group fitness instructor (everyone in LA is a multi-hyphenate) after which he returned to a full-time career in fitness with Equinox in 2003. Keith has been certified by ACE and AFAA along with specialty equipment training for ViPR, TRX, Kettlebells, CrossCore 180 and indoor cycling certifications from Schwinn, Stages, Spinning, and Reebok. He has completed the Equinox Pilates Mat certification and completed countless hours of continuing education at conferences and seminars. Keith currently resides in New York, where he is enjoying living in a high rise building, walking places and re-acquainting himself with the weather. Show Notes We begin by sharing how we both met many years ago when I took Keith’s cycle class in Los Angeles. Over two decades later I am still a regular in his class, although now it is in NYC. It was when Keith was in graduate school in Chicago, getting his masters in journalism that he got a part-time job at a fitness club in Chicago working behind the front desk. He would stand behind the front desk and watch the instructors and classes and that became his catalyst to move into the industry. As with many other guests we talk about the importance of finding a mentor and the fact that wherever you are in the industry, there's always someone ahead of you and always someone behind you. That knowledge cannot be owned and when we can ask for help and then later offer help, it becomes a circle of mentorship. We talk about Keith’s career and how over the course of sixteen years he moved from being an instructor, to Group Fitness Manager, Regional Manager and now as VP of Group Fitness. Keith shares that even as VP, he still teaches as it feeds his soul while also giving him time with members. Keith talks about the importance of listening, being present and at the same time honoring other people’s time. He goes on to talk about curating an experience from start to finish, versus simply teaching or coaching a class and the importance of being really thoughtful with everything that you do. Starting with something as simple as just being in the studio early and then anything that you can add that feels like it is a nice customer service touch that you can make as a curated experience of your own. He reminds us that we can learn something from everybody and there's always room for us as we grow and learn from those around us. We move on to talk about the importance of using social media to connect with your clients and students and the importance of being as authentic in your social media profile as you would be in your real life teaching. Keith shares his thoughts on how to succeed, especially when first starting out. He encourages us to find the best team and get on it, because you're going to accelerate your career by being around all the rest of the best people. People become successful together as groups and as teams. If you're not ready to do all of your own program design, find somebody who will give you a leaping off point so that you're doing something that's smart and real and authentic. He also reminds us to get feedback from as many people as we can. Further along in our career, Keith suggests we find a lane and go all in to that area. It may be content creation, it may be management or maybe you create a lane of your own. Keith suggests that we get incredibly good at one thing that will give you a stand out profile. Own your expertise and be an expert at that thing you want to be known for. This will always be a really powerful indicator of your success. Keith also reminds us about the importance of - right time, right place, right brand, right moments. Meaning that just because you may hear a “no” it may only be that the timing was not right. Do not let a short term “no” derail your long term “yes.” Keith shares the importance of self-examination and trusting your gut. To take the time and ask yourself, “what do I need? What do I want?” Along with that, as you move ahead, Keith talks about the importance of constant learning. When we are constantly a student it allows us to keep feeling fresh and full of ideas, inspired to wake up every day and just devote yourself to what you do. We close the conversation with Keith talking about the importance of managing time – your own and everyone else’s. To really manage your day with the discipline of saying, I am going to be on schedule and prepared. As a practice, honor your time, honor your schedule. Honor other people's schedules and it allows you to just be prepared for whatever may come your way. Right time, right place, right moment.

When You Are Authentic, Your People Will Find You About Today's Guests Jill Miller is the co-founder of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide and creator of the self-care fitness formats Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® Method. With more than thirty years of study in anatomy and movement, she is a pioneer in forging relevant links between the worlds of fitness, yoga, massage, athletics, and pain management. She is known as the Teacher’s Teacher and has trained thousands of movement educators, clinicians, and manual therapists to incorporate her paradigm-shifting self-care fitness programming into athletic and medical facility programs internationally. She has crafted original programs for 24 Hour Fitness, Equinox, YogaWorks, and numerous professional sports teams. She is the creator of dozens of DVDs and online video programs, including Treat While You Train with Kelly Starrett, DPT, and is the author of the internationally bestselling book The Roll Model: A Step by Step Guide to Erase Pain, Improve Mobility and Live Better in your Body. Based in Los Angeles, she is a wife and mother of two small children and is currently writing her second book. Robert Faust is an entrepreneur with a focus on identifying and capitalizing on undeveloped niche market opportunities. Currently, Faust is president and CEO of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide, Inc., a wellness company with a mission of bringing simple self-care healthcare practices into daily living. Through a catalog of professional education programs based on two proprietary fitness formats and a line of self-care fitness products, Tune Up’s breath, movement and mindset pillars empower people to live better in their body. Faust and his wife, Jill Miller, co-founded Tune Up Fitness in 2009. Stay In Touch With Jill and Robert Episode 58 with Jill Miller Book Website Facebook Instagram YouTube Show Notes We change this up a bit this week and begin by talking about how Jill Miller met her husband, Robert Faust. Prior to fitness, Robert’s background was in the entertainment and marketing industry, and so his expertise combined with Jill's creativity made for the perfect partnership, both in life and business. We begin by talking about the importance of our intellectual property (IP) and how we can often feel pressured to give our content away for free in exchange for the “opportunity” and “exposure.”Robert reminds us of the importance of remembering the hard work and hours of research and practice that you put into your programs and products, and that it is always good to get advice when these types of opportunities come your way. Intellectual Property can be broken apart, and so Robert also invites us to look at all aspects of the content we own, to future proof our work and our future career, that we all have worked so hard to create. It is always good to have everything written down, so there is nothing left to chance. We talk about how we can expand our reach and do great things in the world, doing something for the greater good but not the expense of our own health and happiness. We explore the poverty mindset that often comes with being a creative and the importance of facing our money stories and beliefs around finances and success. We go into how our self-worth will contribute to how we view our worth in the world, and that this is work we all need to do to be able to find the balance between giving to others and taking care of ourselves. We move to talk about the "free" culture, and how it is essential to look at how you can inspire others and grow your profile without giving "everything" away. I talk about why I do the podcast and how we can all create content that ties back to you, your purpose, and how you want to impact the world for good. We discuss how Robert and Jill try and balance, work, family, children, and life. I love the honesty of this part of our conversation and how it can be challenging to balance passion, purpose, and self-care. Jill talks about the balance between creativity and productivity and how it can sometimes be hard to find, especially when it comes to motherhood. Robert reminds us of the importance of planning. He believes that a lot of people fail to plan out their vision and understand the steps and milestones that it takes to accomplish their goals. He invites us to also look at what it takes to work backward and come up with just a few first steps that will get you closer to that next milestone. When we plan it helps us build both the confidence and competence to reach our dream goals. Jill reminds us that in addition to being strategic and doing the marketing, we also need to have people around us, who believe in us, and who will give us a chance to put our work out in the world. Our creativity and ideas cannot only happen in our heads, but the place where they will grow into their potential is out in the world as we beta test our materials. We wrap up the show talking about the importance of being authentic, as this way when you share your unique voice, the right people will find you. Robert also reminds us to credit the people who we have learned from. Once again, it is the ripple effect and allows us all to remember that the world is big enough for us all to succeed.

"Let Movement be Mandatory but Exercise be Optional" About Today’s Guest Lawrence Biscontini, MA, has made fitness history as a Mindful Movement Specialist winning the highest number of awards from ACE, IDEA & Inner IDEA, Can Fit Pro, and ECA since 2002. Lawrence travels the world offering world-class secrets in mentoring, fitness and spa consulting, and presenting for professional conferences, and working also on the Advisory Board for the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), Senior VIP Consultant for Power Music®, and reporter-in-the-field for the International Spa Association’s #ispaDoyou campaign creating #ispaInterviews worldwide. He has programmed for Equinox, 24 Hour Fitness, Gold’s Gym International, Bally, and more, and his creations received the Conde Nast Traveler Awards‘ Top Ten Awards placement for innovative spa programming worldwide. Lawrence as a Mindful Movement Specialist enjoys celebrity clients like cast members of ABC TV’s soap opera “General Hospital,” and appears on news (CNN Headline News) and television (“LIVE! With Regis and Kelly”). He is a Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher (E-RYT 500), an AFAA Certification Specialist and Contributing Author and Content Specialist for industry publications like SCW Fitness Education Certifications and AFAA’s American Fitness, IDEA’s Fitness Journal, and the Spa Industry’s Pulse Magazine. His books include the most recent fiction Stories of Color and nonfiction Active Aging SCW Certification Manual: The Life in Our Years specializing in active aging research and practical approaches to movement for people over 50. He has also authored for charity a cookbook, Meals & Musings, a fitness textbook used at universities worldwide, Cream Rises: Excellence in Private & Group Education, and one of the only customer service books written for the spa and fitness world, “Running the Show.” Lawrence created Fitness Group 2000 (FG2000) at the turn of the century whose profits benefit several charitable endeavors, including the outreach work of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Save the Children, and the Biscontini Scholarships he has created for most major international conventions. Over 80% of all revenue from sales generated at www.findlawrence.com support these programs. Show Notes Lawrence and I begin the show reminiscing about chocolates, or rather how I first remember meeting Lawrence after he took my step class at the Reebok Sports Club, as it was known at the time. After class he gave me the most delicious chocolate truffles, and so of course from the very beginning he held a special place in my heart. Lawrence shares how he got into fitness out of necessity because he was the fat kid from Philly. His Father died when he was 18 and when the doctor said "you're next," Lawrence decided to make some changes, including beginning to workout, which led him into his career of fitness and wellness. Lawrence obtained his ACE Gold certification and started teaching in college while he was also working on his masters in communication. After college and while teaching part-time, Lawrence worked for American Airlines teaching their emergency procedures, which was amazingly and coincidentally related to fitness and health and the beginning of diversifying his career, which is a running theme throughout our conversation. We talk further about the importance of having diversity within what we offer, regardless of our career, and also the importance of seeing yourself as a business, even if you love what you are doing. Passion is wonderful, but passion alone does not pay the bills. Lawrence gives us a fantastic exercise to do so that we can look at where we spend our time and how that input of time is related to our output of income. Take out a pen and paper. Put all that you do in terms of where you place your focus in a row at the top of the page. Underneath each row put all the tasks that are associated with that item. List how much time is spent in each column. At the bottom of each row write down how much that particular project adds income to your bank account. Notice if where you spend most of your time also brings in most of your revenue, or is at least moving you closer to building a profitable business. Depending on the results it may be time to reevaluate how and where you place your focus and spend your time. Lawrence talks about the importance of having great mentors. He also goes a step further and believes we all need two mentors, one who is in the industry that you are working in, and one outside of the industry. One leads the way on “what to do” and the other leads the way on “how to be.” He also talks about how to reframe failures and rejection, and that when we hear the word, “no” that the reframe of the meaning is, “not yet.” Lawrence invites us to look at movement being mandatory and exercise as being optional. It is this reframe that will help the fitness industry reach the people, who in the past, may have felt as though they “failed at exercise.” This way we can help open their ears by using the word movement over exercise, and also open their hearts to happiness. He believes that we also need to create compelling experiences instead of simply teaching classes and executing exercise. Lawrence goes onto say that it should be our goal to make everyone feel successful. That the “s of experiences” is not only to build a community, transcend exercise and make everyone feel challenged but most of all help them to feel successful. It is then people will return, tell their friends, and then we have built a community, or a tribe a tri-mmunity, a combination of tribe and community. Towards the end of our conversation, Lawrence shares that he has three philosophies that he has honed from working in fitness. 1. Never burn your bridges. 2. Love is always the answer. Never Jealousy. Never greed. Never backstabbing. Never unfriendly competition. Love is always going to be the answer. 3. Stay true to who you are inside and never sell out. Stay true to yourself and listen to your inner voice. Wise words for sure.

"Nothing Replaces a Face to Face Conversation" About Today's Guest Chantal Brodrick worked for 15 years  in senior sales and marketing roles in the media industry before transitioning careers.  In 2008 she became a qualified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor.  Soon after she combined her corporate background with her love of fitness and became a Fitness Business Coach.  In 2015 Chantal became the host of The Fitness Business Podcast.  Now with over 217 shows and 350,000 downloads, it is the world's leading podcast for fitness business owners and managers. Chantal has interviewed over 250 fitness industry leaders, coaches, consultants and authors including Jim Worthington, Rick Caro, Bill McBride, Brent Darden, Derek Gallup, Alison Flatley, Mo Hagan, Carrie Kepple, Emma Barry, Ryan Holiday, Jeb Blount, Michelle Segar and hundreds more. In 2019 Chantal was recognized as 1 of 20 'Women Who Inspire' by IHRSA's Club Business International Magazine and this year she is a featured speaker and MC at industry events across the world including, IHRSA, FILEX, IDEA, Athletic Business Show and FITEX.   Show Notes We begin the show by talking about how Chantal’s first job began with a 15-year career in media and marketing roles. Fitness was her second career and even though she got a relatively late start in the industry, her marketing background made up for any time lost. After three years of juggling her media and fitness careers, she took the leap to move into fitness fulltime. Chantal shares that the first three years were a struggle, as despite having a business background she was finding herself piecing things together and was becoming too spread out over too many areas to make an impact and almost gave up. However, once she decided to tap into her past and utilize her media background in her present career she soared and she became determined to use her skills to help others in the industry who were also struggling and teach them the business skills necessary to turn their passion into a sustainable business. Chantal encourages everyone to really think strategically about any move that you want to make and invites you to keep your eye on the long game. She believes the strategy piece behind everything that she does is the key to her success. Chantal asks us to think not just about just selling our services, but focus on the overall blueprint of our business. In addition to providing a service, she invites us to think about the following when visioning your best future career: 1. Who is your target market? 2. What do they want? 3. What sort of products and services do you need to deliver to them? 4. What does your business look like - not only right now in this present moment, but what will it look like in six months, in 12 months and in three years? 5. What are the financial goals that you are setting for your business? 6. What's the vision that you have? 7. What's the mission that you are trying to achieve? We move to talk about the struggles that can arise when trying to balance our passion with the idea of making a profit from our passion. Chantal believes there are key areas that she feels are essential to turning passion into a profitable career. 1. Identify your passion and ask yourself is it a sustainable interest? 2. Can you stay in it for the long game? 3. Are you confident that there is enough content, products or services that you can provide to this market to make it sustainable? 4. Is this market big enough to make it sustainable? 5. Is it something that you can build a business around? Chantal reminds us that doing research around the needs of our target market is absolutely key. That will mean going out and talking to your customers, talking to the people who you feel are your target market. And in addition to researching your target market – research your competition. After looking at your competitors (for inspiration) find your unique point of difference or your unique selling point - what can you offer that nobody else can offer? Chantal also encourages to take the time to check back in every so often with the people we want to serve to make sure we stay on top of the changing needs of our customers. Chantal wants us all to remember that while it is important to collect that data, and stay on top of the research - that nothing will beat sitting down for face to face conversations with the people you want to help. Even if your business in online use the amazing technology like Skype and Zoom to look people in the eye as you connect and collaborate with your audience. “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Additional Takeaways: 1. Always be a student and always be learning, both inside and outside of your industry 2. Ask for help and find a mentor 3. If you go to conferences and events be sure to step outside of your circle and take the time to meet and connect with people you don’t know 4. Get your backend systems in place so you can run a great business on the front end/ 5. Make your business as efficient as possible 6. At first, try all things and then narrow down your market as you learn where you do your best work and who you enjoy working with the most 7. Put your learning time into the areas where you feel the least confident  

"Be a Student Always, Be a Teacher Sometimes" About Todays Guest Sue Hitzmann, MS, CST, NMT, is the creator of the MELT Method®, a simple self-treatment technique that helps people get out and stay out of chronic pain. A nationally recognized educator, manual therapist, exercise physiologist, and founding member of the Fascial Research Society, Sue is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The MELT Method®: A Breakthrough Self-Treatment System to Eliminate Chronic Pain, Erase the Signs of Aging, and Feel Fantastic in Just 10 Minutes a Day!, which has helped over 200,000 people lead a healthy, pain-free life. Sue’s journey to help others began in the world of fitness. In 1999, she starred in the Crunch video Boot Camp Training, which has sold more than half a million copies. Sue's interest in manual therapy began with her quest to find answers to her own debilitating pain. After receiving her Masters in Exercise Science from New York University, Sue went on to attain certifications in manual therapies. In 2001, Sue was inspired to create "homework" for her manual therapy clients, which led to the development of the MELT Method – the first-ever form of Hands-off BodyworkTM. Now with the bestselling book The MELT Method and the products, Sue personally designed – including the MELT Soft Body Roller and MELT Hand & Foot Treatment kit – anyone, anywhere, can take steps to restore whole-body efficiency and lead a healthier, more active life. Sue has personally trained more than 1,300 professionals worldwide and is a leading presenter for national organizations such as IDEA, ECA, and PMA, and a CEU provider for ACE, AFAA, NASM, PMA, and NCBTMB. Sue has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Nightline, Good Morning America, The Rachael Ray Show, and Live! with Regis and Kelly, and the internationally translated MELT Method book has been featured in magazines such as SELF, More, and Prevention. Show Notes Sue was recording from her New York office and so please enjoy the city sounds at no extra cost. We begin talking about how Sue made her "fitness pivot" in her late nineties, due to an injury. On doing her research she found was there was a dirty little secret of fitness, and that was that almost everybody in the fitness industry was injured and Sue decided she wanted to "fix" that in addition to healing herself. As Sue began her new fitness journey to figuring out what her own pain was and how to heal it, she found the emerging field of facial research. This discovery changed her perspective and passion within the fitness industry and eventually her entire career. We talk about the idea, that if you have a passion, a purpose, a belief and you really have persistence, you can achieve anything that you want. And with her newfound purpose and own persistence, Sue created a new health and business model. In 2004 she coined the term MELT, began teaching her philosophy, beta testing her format, creating her methodology, and developing her Intellectual Property that is now taught worldwide. Sue believes that education is one of the most empowering tools that we have and encourages us all to be a teacher sometimes, but a student always. She invites us all, to never stop learning, keep asking questions, and look to those people that you admire and ask them for help. "Walk the walk, talk the talk and be the best possible self that you can be so that every day you can live your best life." 

"Let The Passion Lead, While You Are Learning" About Today's Guest Maureen Hagan is a global Health & Wellness Expert and has been recognized for her work that spans over three decades. Mo, as she is known in the fitness industry, is an international Award-winning fitness industry leader, program director, and group fitness instructor, and a No. 1 Best-selling author and popular health and fitness columnist. In 2016 Mo was named as one of Canada’s 20 Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity. Also in 2016, she received the International Fitness Industry’s Woman of the Year award. In both 2017 & 2018, she was recognized as one of the Top 100 Health Influencers in Canada. Most recently Mo received the Canadian Fitness Industry Leadership award and was the first solo woman in history to do so. She is the Vice President of Program Innovation at GoodLife Fitness and Canfitpro. She is the creator of Women Who Influence, a founding member of the Women In Fitness Association Board of Directors, and a Board of Directors’ member for Prescription to Get Active Canada. Mo is living her dream that she envisioned as an influencer of change, dedicated to inspire new levels of awareness for fitness, health, and wellbeing worldwide. It is Mo’s belief that behind all great instructors, coaches and leaders is the desire to succeed and help others do the same and this is why she is here—to move people and businesses forward in the direction of their true purpose.   Stay In Touch With Maureen Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Mentioned In The Show Women Who Influence WIFA Can Fit Pro Convention Thanks to: This episode is bought to you with the help of Yes Fitness Music To learn more and gain access to a free, no credit card needed, two-week trial subscription click on the link above:

If You Don't Have a Plan, It Doesn't Get Done" We begin with Emma sharing her journey of how she got into fitness. Her original dream was to be New Zealand’s leading defense Lawyer, but she couldn't sit exams very well so she fell into physical education. Her first job was with Les Mills and she ended up staying with them for 25 years, and a few years into that journey she realized the importance of seeking business opportunities as well as physical ones. Emma began her career doing group fitness classes but moved into management early on. For Emma, this was a way to stay in the industry and take on a real job that didn’t involve being physical and trading her time in an hour to hour situation. Emma talks about the skills she could bring into fitness from her career in law: One was curiosity and the other was the ability to see both sides of a viewpoint and utilize critical thinking. Emma’s whole life has been working inside and outside of fitness, looking for the next thing and then trying to take something and make it better. Emma believes that everything's becoming blended right now and so she spends a lot of her time outside the industry. She focuses on human needs and how we can articulate a way to meet those needs more efficiently. “We know that we've got whatever we're feeling on the inside, we know that we've got these tangible ways of meeting those needs, but I think it needs to be looked at as a whole ecosystem.” Emma challenges us not to follow but to lead and asks us to consider the question, "when was the last time you had an original thought, or you actually made a choice for yourself that wasn't delivered up in your Instagram feed, told to you by your parents?" An interesting question for sure. She invites us to look at how we do things and where we could create a more wow experience, in the day to day life of others, whether it's inside or outside fitness. Emma pushes us to ACT. Stop thinking and start doing. If you have an idea, do something with that idea, don't leave it behind you, because if you do, there's a couple of things that'll happen. You'll either regret it, or someone else will come along, do something similar and they will be the next big thing. Emma talks about the importance of knowing and working within our strengths and then working with others to help bring energy to whatever it is you are working on. Do one tiny step each day and if you don't have the energy, find someone who does. Make the call to that one person who might have an answer to the pieces that you haven't quite worked out yet. Emma loves to mix things up and instead of just hearing about things she loves to get in the room with brilliance. She works closely with influencers to notice and spot the trends before they become the trends that we know. Emma also talks about the importance of having our own IP. The importance of creating our own assets that we can then use to expand our reach. She gives some examples such as writing white papers, writing a book or an E-book or creating a course. What is something that you build into a methodology, workshop or course and then sell? Emma sees a big opportunity with the baby boomers, as over half our working environment by 2020 will be this generation. These are the people who are underserved and she reminds us that you do not need a large following to be successful. Find the gap in the industry and then be the solution. She invites us all to stay in for the long game as she sees a lot of people who are 20 or 30 years into an industry, then they want to jump ship which is not always the greatest idea. To stay in the game it sometimes may come down to taking what you've always been good at but approach it from a different angle. Emma believes we should be living at least 80 percent in our strengths, then the other 20 percent doing the stuff that we don't like. But the majority of your life should be standing in the stuff you love. Emma talks further about how to tap into our strengths and one way is to just ask your friends. Ask four or five of them “What am I really good at?” and then also go out and ask “What am I not good at?” She also reminds us that we can transfer our skills that come with being an instructor. “If you think about it, we have the ability to make people feel a certain way and I think that is in the end, that is gold. We can lead them off the ledge or we can excite them, we can turn their negative mood around, we can give them another perspective.” We talk about the importance of creating space for learning and sometimes we need to say no, but Emma also thinks there's a period where you do need to say yes, especially in the beginning. Then once you get busy you can pull back and make more room for your evolution. Emma talks her ruthless rituals, which for her is up at 4:45 am – allowing her two hours in the morning for learning, not sitting on social media, not running around after the family, but actually sitting down and learning for herself. She also reminds us to listen to our bodies. There's a time to train our body. There's a time of clear thinking. There's a time for meetings and calls, there's a time to do the bills and all the other stuff. But stay on your plan, otherwise, you just end up doing everyone else's agenda. Everyone else gets ahead and you don't. We close up the show by Emma, once again reminding us of the importance of knowing your strengths and your values. Also, look at what's on your calendar and what's on your credit card? What do you value? These two items will tell you so much about yourself. Keep what you like and change the rest.

“We Have the Opportunity to Change Lives” how Notes Alberto begins by sharing the long road to Zumba’s “overnight” success. It began in the ’80s in Cali Columbia, where a young dance teacher forgot his music and all he had on him at that moment was a cassette tape of music that he had recorded from the radio. That same day Beto, as he is now known, instead of sharing his mistake, told his class, "today we're going to do something different." He improvised, the people loved it and that was the starting line, yet it was going to be a long time before Beto and Alberto Perlman crossed paths and the Zumba that we know today was born. Beto worked hard and became one of the most popular instructors in Cali, Colombia. After conquering Cali the next path was to go and create his success in Bogota. After he proved himself in the big city, Beto decided to come to the US as he felt there would be more opportunity for him and he was determined to spread the joy of movement. Beto sold everything and made the move to the United States, but he couldn't find a way to get started teaching. It took four times of flying back and forth between Columbia and Florida before he finally got an audition at a local gym in Miami. This audition is now legendary, as 15 minutes turned into an hour, and his 15 minutes audition became a class, packed with members of the gym where he was auditioning. At the end of his time, not surprisingly, the manager said, “you're hired.” Before meeting Beto, Alberto was doing internet startups and then came the dot com bust. Without work, and over dinner at the house of his parents he heard about this new fitness instructor. His uncle, his aunt and everybody at the table were talking about Beto’s class. His mom had the idea that Alberto should meet Beto to see if they could start a gym together. While Alberto certainly wasn’t thinking about starting a fitness based company, he was also at a low point and willing to explore all possibilities. And so the next day he arranged to meet Beto at a local Starbucks. Over coffee, Beto shared his life story. Alberto saw that Beto had so much depth to his story that believed that he must also teach an incredible fitness class. So he went to see him teach. While Alberto didn't know anything about fitness, he knew that when you're doing fitness, you usually don't smile. But every single person in that room was smiling and drenched in sweat at the same time and Alberto knew this was a magical moment. After the class, he told Beto that he thought he should make some VHS workout tapes. And so with no money, a dream and a handshake a partnership began. Alberto was fascinated by the success of Tae-Bo as the founder Billy Blanks had no connections at the time, but he created some tapes, launched an infomercial and sold directly to the consumers with great success. He saw that it wasn't about who you know, it was about creating a great product, creating a great TV commercial, and then letting the work speak for itself. They started raising money in May of 2001, and by September of 2001 they had commitments to fund the infomercial, but then September 11 happened and everybody pulled out. In November of that year, through connections, they were able to land a meeting with the company Fitness Quest in Ohio and a deal was made. Alberto gave the rights to DVD's and VHS tapes, but not to any live products, which looking back was a very good move. Alberto shares that through challenging times,  the thing that kept them going where the stories. People would come to him and tell him that their Zumba class changed their life or that someone was able to deal an illness because their Zumba class was their mental break, or that someone was able to have the courage to get a divorce from an abusive relationship because of motivation and friends that came from the Zumba experience. He saw that the magic came in letting yourself go, enjoying your life for one hour, and then by not thinking about anything else, it gave them the strength to do other things in their life. Alberto realized there was a responsibility that the company needed to keep, and that was trying to get as many people to experience Zumba as they possibly could as he realized the workout was really going to help people both inside a class and out in their day to day life. At the beginning, they were just trying to pay the mortgage, but down the line, he saw that there was something much bigger developing. That they had a chance to change people's lives, and he knew that not a lot of people get a chance to do that. Alberto shares how they expanded from just being an infomercial product to then offering live classes in gyms everywhere. It began when people started calling the infomercial call center asking where they could take a local class? So many people began asking for the live experience that they decided to create an instructor certification. They sat in their garage (office)  and with outside expertise created a methodology that could be replicated. In March of 2003, they had their first training. While they expected 20 people, 150 people flew in from all over the country and that was the beginning. Alberto shares some of the challenges that come with such rapid growth, including quality control and the question of when somebody gets trained in Zumba, will it be a certification (pass/fail) or will they let people train and let the market decide? They went with the latter. Getting Zumba into the clubs was not easy.  While the smaller clubs jumped on Zumba, it would be a couple of years before the big box clubs got on board. But eventually they did and now Zumba has an amazing relationship with every major gym chain in the world.  To this day Zumba is one of the top three classes in every major fitness chain. I then ask Alberto about Zumba Gold, as my mentor Joy Prouty along with Josie Garner where the brains behind this arm of the Zumba brand.  Alberto was at a trade show when Joy Prouty approached him and shared how she loved Zumba, but that when she taught classes to the older crowd some of the moves were hard for them. She asked if he would mind if she and Josie created an adaptation for the senior population and Zumba Gold – again over a handshake, was born. Alberto shares how it's been amazing to watch the growth with success stories such as one of their students being 104 years young. Beto always said music was 70% of the class and so over the years Zumba has expanded into a lifestyle brand. Around 2008 they met Pit Bull at the Grammy’s. He realized that a Zumba class was just like a radio station and a phenomenal way for him to get his music heard. That was the beginning of Zumba creating a really good win, win relationship with artists and expanding into an entertainment brand. We wrap up the conversation by Alberto sharing a life lesson that he gained from the fitness industry. He explained that in the fitness industry you get instant feedback. When you're standing in front of a crowd, you have to pay really close attention to the reactions of that crowd. It was this realization that has helped Alberto develop group empathy. Now, whenever he is looking out as he is speaking to a group of people, having meetings or holding conference calls,  he tries to understand what the other people are feeling so that he can iterate and improve their experience of that exchange of energy and information. Group empathy – what a perfect place to end the conversation.

“Believe in Your Unique Genius” About Todays Guest Sadie Lincoln is the co-founder and CEO of barre3, a fitness company focused on teaching people to be balanced in body and empowered from within. Starting in 2008 with the flagship studio in Portland, Oregon, barre3 has grown to include more than 140 franchise studios powered by female entrepreneurs, plus an online-workout streaming-subscriber base in 98+ countries. What started as a workout has blossomed into a full-blown movement made up of millions of people focused on body positivity, being empowered, and redefining what success in fitness means. Sadie is on Inc.'s Female Founders 100 list, has been featured on NPR's How I Built This, and speaks regularly on the topics of mindful leadership, the power of body wisdom, and the movement to redefine what success in fitness means. Beyond running her company and being a global spokesperson, Sadie still enjoys teaching barre3 classes to many of her founding clients in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Stay in Touch with Sadie Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Show Notes Sadie’s first memory of been introduced to fitness was with Jane Fonda, in her living room with her mom. She fell in deeply in love with fitness when it began to serve her life in the most important of ways, which for Sadie was finding a community and connection. Sadie went to City College and then transferred to UCLA where she discovered the recreation center and felt an instant sense of belonging.  She started participating in the group exercise classes and by falling in love with the energy created within those four walls she decided she wanted to teach and her career in fitness began. In addition to teaching students, Sadie also enjoyed leading other instructors. Sadie shares that to this day that's what she loves most about teaching. She has been teaching for close to 30 years and every time she teaches she believes she still grows as a person with each class. One of Sadie’s superhero powers is seeing talent in other people and helping them discover their unique genius. She believes that every single instructor is so unique and so beautiful and has their own strengths, they just need to recognize them. One of the reasons she branched out on her own to develop barre3, was that she saw some things in the industry that she felt were broken. She shares that it wasn't the industry's fault, but rather how we were approaching fitness and the formulas created within the industry. These formulas and ideas were often attached to a person -  a kind of a guru, a super athlete or someone who's super aspirational. Oftentimes was models, athletes and people at the top of their game. And that fails most of us because none of us can be someone else. Then when we become attached to working out to become an ideal it often leads to dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, low body image, and most importantly a poor connection with fitness and moving. But Sadie believes that when we move to honor our own truth and to be our own best teacher, that is when we develop a healthy relationship with exercise. Sadie has a unique view of our obligation when showing up in any class setting. That is, it is our job to take our own shape, stand in our own body and make decisions that are right for us versus copying the instructors. She believes copying skips understanding and the reason that we should do fitness is to move and to grow and to understand ourselves better. And when we look at fitness that way, instead of striving for a hard body we can leave with a wise body. Sadie’s upbringing was unconventional. In the early '60s, Sadie's mom became really good friends with four other women. They all dropped out of the traditional lifestyle, became a part of the counterculture, and began experimenting with new ways of living. They lived in nature and studied psychology together. They ended up all being single moms and decided to raise their children together and collaborate. Some of what they followed involved dreamwork and so as a child Sadie experienced sitting in a circle, sharing her dreams and at an early age was offered the opportunity to look inside and understand herself in a meaningful and authentic way. She learned amazing tools that helped her to look inside for answers. Sadie shares the part of her background that helped her learn the business of fitness. She worked directly for the founder and CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, who became her mentor. He recognized her strengths and allowed her to flourish and thrive. Sadie got to travel the world, which offered her a global snapshot of fitness, and in turn, allowed her to investigate and learn about trends. Sadie shares that her favorite part about working at 24 Hour fitness was getting to sit in a room, with really bright people who would dig into the data It was during this time that Sadie saw over and over again, that the industry did a really good job selling fitness, selling the before and the after. But she also realized that more people were leaving then we're coming in. Her big question became, “why are so many people leaving?” Sadie saw that when you pulled back the camera, and you really looked at everything, just as fitness was rising and becoming increasingly popular, our national health was on the decline, obesity was on the rise along with body image and eating disorders. We fast forward and Sadie shares her journey to opening her first studio in Portland. All based on wanting to create a new way to share the joy of movement - she wanted to do it differently. They moved from Oakland and Portland where there wasn't a lot of competition, put away all the business books and got to work. Instead of looking outside for the answers Sadie went within, asking, What do I need? What would I want in this product? She wanted light and so she had big windows everywhere. She wanted to make sure that the lobby was just as important as the exercise room, so Sadie made sure that everybody that works in the front lobby is equally trained as her instructors and that there was no hierarchy. On August 12th at 5:45 PM, the same day that she received her certificate of occupancy, Sadie taught her first barre3 class, and the rest was history. Many years later Sadie is still constantly changing and evolving in the class. One thing that never changes at Barre 3 is that things are always changing because the team is always listening and figuring things out in the moment. Based on science, physical therapists and most importantly their clients, Sadie is constantly evolving and mixing things up. Currently, there are 140 Franchises of barre3, with Sadie and her husband owning six of the studios. The company is still privately owned and funded. Sadie offers full support to her franchisees and has over 50 full-time employees. Her investors are women and Sadie is committed to empowering the owners with all the tools and strategies needed to create a thriving business. Sadie shares that with the business comes rollercoaster ride, one that she has learned to relax into. She constantly is asking herself, "What's best for Barre 3? What's healthiest for all these owners?" and that leads to growing as an individual. Her clients are growing, her owners are growing, her team is growing. Everyone rises together while growing in different ways. When we can look within, that is how we continue to create change that is in service of others.

“Speak to One Person, and Everyone Else will Eavesdrop” Dubbed by Commonwealth Bank as Australia’s Leading Females Sales Trainer, Annette Lackovic’s grassroots started back in the fitness industry as a group fitness instructor at the young age of 15. By the age 21, Annette had transformed a struggling health club into a multi-million dollar money pit within a short period of 6mths, quickly making her realize she had a knack for sales and business. For the next 10 years, Annette trained thousands of business owners and gym staff, consulted to hundreds of health clubs and personal training studios with a big focus on ‘how to sell without being salesy’. A 13-year FILEX Conference speaking veteran, Annette is a thought leader from not just sales but her deeper passion, the link between positive psychology and human performance. Fast forward, today Annette keeps her finger on the pulse in the fitness industry by creating the very first online Sale Training University for health clubs (called S-Uni) allowing clubs to have their team trained up in sales and reduce the expenses of continual sales training. Annette continues to be on the speaker circuit across the nation speaking on sales, wellness, and unstoppable personal performance. Stay in Touch with Annette Website Podcast Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Mentioned in the Show Sales University Upwork Fiverr Thanks to: This Episode is brought to you by the help of Yes Fitness Music. To try their no-credit card needed, 14-day free trial click here:   Annette and I met at an amazing event in 2018. It was called Iconic 2.0 with Ali Brown and took place in Phoenix, last November. We connected immediately, although at the time, I had no idea that Annette also had a long history in the fitness world. Annette’s fitness journey started when she was 12. Her sister used to teach aerobics in a local community hall and Annette would turn up and do the class with her. By the age of 15, she knew this was going to be a part of her future. At 17, Annette took her fitness certification and, like many others, it was when an instructor didn’t show up that her career began. At this time Annette lived in a little country town called Springwood, which is in the Blue Mountains, about an hour and a half out of Sydney. Annette was taught by her mom that she could do anything, and with that came a lot of power. Annette shares the importance of having someone that believes in you at an early age, and how it can make such a difference as we get older. As well as teaching fitness, Annette was a master at selling club memberships. She shares that she fell into sales and believes she was good at it because she loved people. It was her drive to help people get healthier, and show them how happy they could be through exercise, that ramped up her success in sales.Through another no-show, Annette moved into management even though she had no management experience, but through the mentorship of another salesperson, she fast-tracked her success. Through her mentor, she learned the psychology on why people buy and this helped her systemize communications, that in turn helped other people follow a process to successful selling. By putting a framework around a method on how to lead people through their goals, and to show them how fitness is the solution to whatever problem they've got, returned rewarding results and great success. Annette believes that a lot of personal trainers go into a sale without any structure. They hope that they're going to talk about the person's goals and the person's going to convert. But if we can come from a place that is really all about the customer, not about us, and not about getting the money, the transformation will be huge both for the customer and for us. Annette shares that she was an intuitive salesperson, so while she didn't know what she was doing she was still successful. But it is when there's a process in place and you can bring in the Law of Connectivity that you will see improving results. Annette explains that the Law of Connectivity means when that we shape an area of someone's life, such as weight loss or their health, it has a ripple effect into other areas of their life such as relationships, business, and work. Annette suggests when it comes to sales we do a consultative approach, which means we asked the small questions first that open the door to letting the customer tell us what they need, not what we think they want. A consultative approach also means you need to have a stack of questions ready so that you can find your ideal customer and help them to find their number one priority.  What are the areas in their life that can be helped by fitness that on first glance may not seem connected? Annette shares that many times we start sales and relationships by diving into the solution too soon.  What the customer needs, especially early on, is to have a spotlight placed on their lives that lets them review where they are right now. Annette reminds us of the saying, “The customer does not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Annette walks us through a scenario of her sales process and some questions she might ask such as: How long has that (way of being) been going on for? Do you mind if I ask if, if things weren't to change, let's just say for some reason you walk out today and you continue to keep in the lifestyle that you're actually living right now: What's the ripple effect of that? How, how would that continue to make you feel? And at the same time, if you come from a place of service and you're really sitting there looking at that other human being saying, I'm truly here to help you train for the good of you, they will feel the difference and be motivated to buy. Annette tells us how to test the buying temperature. She likes to call them tick questions. These are the little questions that you can ask, which allow the customer to see themselves inside the vision of the future. These small tick questions help the customer make little decisions before the big decision. When it comes to any type of selling Annette shares that we have to get out of our head and more into the connection. She goes on to explain that structured questions give the customer freedom, and at the same time helps us decide if the person in front of us, is the right fit for us. Just like anything, these questions and a strong sales process takes practice. Annette says you need to practice your questions in front of the mirror, in the shower, in the car. This way, you have them so dialed in, that when you are in front of your customer they're in your subconscious brain allowing you to be totally present as you listen to their answers. We move into talking about ways to scale our business, in particular, the online model. Annette believes that if you are wanting to expand your business, that you will need to learn how to do online marketing or outsource it so someone can help you. The links to some of the resources we talked about can be found at the top of these show notes. Annette also reminds us to feel our own compass and find quiet time. Because we are often so caught up in our day to day, we can't feel the magnetic pull to where we need to be. Getting still will allow you to ask and feel where the next step is. Tap into where your next move will need to happen and ask yourself, “ What am I actually feeling?” When we don't have that quiet time, we can't actually hear and feel where we are and where we should be going. Find out where that true north is. Normally it's some big bombastic goal that scares the heck out of you, but that is what you're born to do. And then it's learning what are the steps that you need to do to get there. We close the show with Annette giving advice on how to find clarity. She invites us all to go and take a moment to reflect on your perfect work day and then write it down in detail. Write down how your perfect work day would run from the moment you wake up to the moment your head hits the pillow. We finish by Annette encouraging us to get out of our head and into the world and reminds us to always come from a place of gratitude. To continually just focus at the end of every day on the things you are grateful for and then take five minutes before you go to bed to journal on how are you feeling and what your goals are. These two things will help keep you moving forward and in alignment with your true north.

“Be a Sherpa and Guide Those Behind You” About Todays Guest New York Times Best Selling Author of Push, Chalene Johnson is a lifestyle and business expert, motivational speaker, and podcast host. She and Bret, her husband of over twenty years, are the founders of the SmartLife movement. Today, with her husband, Chalene runs a fun loving, collaborative team focused on helping others live a healthier, more simplified life through their online academies, membership sites, and live, sold-out seminars. Chalene, with the help of top dietitians, doctors, researchers, and experts, she founded the 131 Method - a nutritional coaching program that’s turning the diet industry upside down. She hosts two top-ranked podcasts, The Chalene Show and Build Your Tribe, Huffington Post recognized Chalene as one of the “Top 50 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch.” Stay in Touch with Chalene: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Mentioned in the Show 1-3-1 Method by Chalene Johnson Build Your Tribe Podcast The Chalene Show Podcast Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn Show Notes So I want to give you a little backstory about today's guest. I had scheduled all the incredible thought leaders and change agents, but I wanted to include one more person who had truly made the leap out of fitness and into the world of entrepreneurship. Someone who had pivoted 180 degrees to include non-fitness related programming within their brand. I had just finished listening to one of Chalene's podcasts and thought to myself, wow, she would be the perfect fit, but with two podcasts of her own, a live event coming up and the launch of her new book, I thought to myself, there is no way she would have the time, but I reached out anyway and within five minutes I heard back from her and she said, "of course, I would love to be a part of your show." I felt it important for you to know how generous Chalene is off stage and outside of social media. Chalene’s mom was a Jazzercise instructor. Both sides of her family struggled with their weight and dieting, and so at an early age through both a positive and negative influence, she was introduced to the world of fitness. At the age of seventeen, after watching her mom instruct for many years Chalene began teaching at women's facility. Fast forward a few years and Chalene moved to Southern California. Moving from a small town to a big city was a bit of a culture shock and there were many rejections and a lot of practice before Chalene was hired.  But eventually, she found a position teaching at a high profile club and began her 10,000 hours toward building her phenomenal success in the world of fitness. In our conversation, Chalene talks about the importance of constructive feedback. She learned that it's a gift and so decided to embrace it and utilize the feedback. By using feedback to empower her, it allows her to make work and voice even more impactful. Chalene shares, that her company wouldn't be where it is today if she didn't listen to her customers and their feedback. All of which she views as a gift, and believes these are the little whispers in her ear to help her be better. Chalene shares that the biggest mistake she made was when she tried to create something almost privately in a test tube. When she tried to guess what problem it was that people wanted to be solved and also guessed how they would want to receive the information. This mindset did not lead to a successful program but once again she learned the lessons that she needed to take into iteration 2.0. Chalene believes that “success leaves clues” and so she tries to do a really good job of inventorying. This is where she looks at what she is doing right, what she is doing wrong, and then uses all of the information to move forward and improve. We fast track forward and talk about the process that happened before Chalene had her first fitness program purchased by Beachbody. It began long before her television success and once again it was hard work, feedback, and iteration after iteration, that took her to her first infomercial. Chalene had been teaching a unique workout that combined kickboxing, hit intervals and hip hop, but the secret sauce was the music.  Chalene created soundtracks that matched the routines in intensity and added also sound effects into the music that enhanced the customer's experience. This was when no-one was matching music to the moves, outside of the cheerleading industry. There was such a demand for this workout that she created a specialty certification which then allowed her customized program to spread to hundreds and hundreds of gyms in over 60 different countries. During this time participants would send her success stories and she was so inspired by them that she saved them, printed them out, and them into a folder. A few years later, the combination of these stories along with Chalene’s personality, talents and programming had several infomercial companies fighting for her attention. After a lot of discussions, and the fact that the company she eventually partnered with did not want to change her concept, she signed on with Beachbody. Even though fitness was a big part of Chalene’s success she believes fitness is just a gateway drug to personal development. In her programs, in addition to the usual cues about movement and alignment, she talks about life, priorities, goal setting, along with the need to believe in yourself. She believed if she could teach people that if they had enough love for themselves to change their physique, they could change every single part of their life. During our interview, we also talk about one of her biggest failures in the industry and how it almost took her and her family into bankruptcy. It was another program, that while solid in the structure was not appealing to her audience. For nine months Chalene had put everything into building this new format and there had been a lot of money, people and energy being directed into this one project. When it flopped, Beachbody had to let a lot of people go and Chalene shares that she had an unbelievable amount of guilt and shame about this, and began questioning her self-worth. At the same time, she and her husband were trying to repair things in their marriage and while this was a moment that she would not want to repeat, she also looks back with gratitude for the lessons learned during that time. Eventually, with the help of a therapist, her faith and with a commitment to each other, she and her husband got to the other side. Today, both their relationship and businesses are thriving. We talk about the different ways to inspire people and Chalene wisely reminds us that not everyone is cut out for an entrepreneurial style business or even cut out for leadership. But if you are driven to go out and create your own path, she suggests that you need to become comfortable experimenting - throw some things against the wall and see what sticks. She encourages us to continue our own personal development journey, while at the same time teaching what we’ve just mastered and learned to others. Chalene says, “Look back like a Sherpa and guide the people who are on the journey just behind you, not like 20 steps behind you, but turn over your shoulder and help the people right behind you, reach out and extend a hand and show the safest path to the people who are on the journey with you” When it comes to next steps Chalene encourages us to put pen to paper. Give yourself about an hour with no distractions, no phone, no music, no people and no TV in the background. Just take a pen and a piece of paper and write down absolutely everything that pops into your head, big or small, regardless of the order, regardless of the likelihood or the possibility of this happening, but just absolutely anything that comes in your mind that feels like it could or should be the next right step. She then encourages us to look at that page and identify what's the smallest thing you need to do next? When you're just inching your feet forward, that's movement and you're not going to worry about making a mistake if you're just inching forward versus sprinting. In building confidence Chalene invites us to take continual inventory of our successes, even if they're really, really small. She invites us to keep an evidence folder. Then with those positive experiences, we build. Lastly, Chalene believes it's really important to learn the science around building positive habits, as it is when we master our habits we can put our attention, time and energy to creating and making a positive impact in the world.  

“Find the Gold Within Each Lesson”   Lashaun loves all movement, but to her yoga is the space where she becomes a vessel for life and learning. When she gets get on that mat, and especially when teaching, movement becomes a spiritual practice, a place where she feels like she can work out anything. Lashaun started in the industry when she was 12 years old. She had three jobs as a teenager and one of them was working at the front desk of a small studio called The Unique Physique. Lashaun learned fitness from like the world of bodybuilding, which allowed her to understand anatomy at a young age. While it was bodybuilding that caught her attention, it was group fitness that captured her heart. She began taking classes and eventually worked her way up into the front row. and like many others in our industry, one day, the teacher did not show up and Lashaun's teaching career began. Years later after she graduated Lashaun did an internship in the state government where she began teaching the early morning classes. The early classes were a perfect fit and so she did the same thing when she moved to Boston to go to University and it was in Boston where Lashaun met Sherry Catlin, a legand in the world of fitness, who became her mentor for the next two decades. Lashaun was in school studying philosophy and international relations and had every intention to move into politics and be a diplomat. She loved international relations and was paying for school by teaching fitness and only ever intended for it to be part-time. However, through a series of divine interventions, Lashaun slowly became more entrenched in the fitness community. Still not in the business full-time, Lashaun moved to NYC and enrolled into a Master’s program at Columbia University and at the same time began teaching at the high profile club Equinox. One morning as Lashaun was going to teach her class, she realized that that was the only hour of her day where she was truly happy and that's when she decided to make fitness her full-time business. Lashaun reminds us to make sure that if we are chasing a dream, it's our dream. Often, it's a dream that we think we're supposed to follow. Perhaps it's our parents' dream, a dream that we outgrew or perhaps it might be that you don't think your dream is good enough, or that you're good enough for the dream. Lashaun talks about the importance of doing the inner work. The importance of getting support from teachers, mentors, spiritual coaches, and therapists or whatever it is that helps you along the way. Have a toolbox that lets you take whatever you experience, then pull out the gold. She believes we need a mindset practice, a physical practice, and a career practice. Then all of those things work together to give you the tools, to be able to make use of every experience that comes your way. We talk about ambition and the challenges that can come from that word. Lashaun believes there are so many reasons why people are not willing to go for it, but it really comes down to the particular shape of your wound around pursuing your dream? What is that voice that's holding you back or making you think that you can't have it all? Lashaun is highly intuitive and talks about the importance of clarifying your signal to the Universe and aligning your vibration with your values and purpose. It is when we are sort of dabbling and we have one foot in, just playing and creating but we're not really committed, that the Universe and the people around us, don't really know how to help us. We need to get clear. When we get super crystal clear then it's super easy for others to step in and say, "How can I help?"  So the clearer you get, the more action you will be able to take. Lashaun shares that it is the Yoga Mat that allows her to get clear about what she needs to do that day, what magic she needs to create, or what energy she needs to put out into the world. She believes that when you ask for help, you will get an answer. However, if you expect a certain answer then you're going to get the answer that you expect. She reminds us to go back to the inner work and look at our expectations. "There's going to be something that is presented before you and you define what that is and your expectations around it. Do I expect that it’s going to fail? Do I expect that this is going to work out? Do I expect that I have what it takes to be there?" And she encourages us to be aware, simply be aware, of our expectations. Lashaun goes on to say you will be presented with a response and an opportunity, possibly a new path, a new person, a new idea. But then it's on you again. It’s up to you to take it to the next step, you've got to keep that iteration moving forward and engage. It's really a conversation with your dreams, with your soul, and with what you came here to do We move into a meditation that Lashaun is exploring and one that can help us all. A meditation that allows us to see the realization of all of our potential and goodness - and then before you open a door to any situation or room, bring all of you through that door. Then when you step into that room, whatever that room is, and when you are aligned with the truth of you, you get to realize that you are personally here to do what you are destined to do. Then you must ask how you can serve as you step into the room. And on bringing your full self and being of service, you will glow, and the people you are meant to serve will be drawn to you. Lashaun invites you to find a practice that lets you be you. Create a space that helps you be ready for whatever's to come. Think of you becoming you as your work. It is your work to be more of who you are, instead of focusing on what it is that you do. Then, when we come together with other people who are in that same alignment, we get to create magic in the world. Lashaun invites to everyone in this industry to be the change makers. She believes we are the solution for the dissonance in the world and we have the greatest opportunity to help move the world forward into harmony. She invites us to think about how many other industries or careers have the ability to gather hundreds of people one to three times a week, put them in a positive mindset where they can actually think and be open to change, and then move things forward? Lashaun goes on to say “I think that we are a gift to the people we serve. We're a gift to this country, we are a gift to the world and we should consider that precious. Every time we step into a room to teach, every time we touch a client, every time we write a workout program, consider it as a vessel for transformation for ourselves, for those we serve, and for the world that we live in.” What a magnificent way to open the new series. Be the change you wish to see in the world.  

“If you knew how remarkable you are you would amaze yourself" Whether you are in fitness full time, some of the time or none of the time, the wisdom, inspiration, and encouragement you will find from my guests, along with the tips, strategies, and ideas they will share on how you can elevate and expand your reach, will have you feeling empowered and energized. Before becoming a speaker, author and podcaster I spend thirty plus years in the wonderful industry called fitness – and because for many of us, our passion is tied so tightly to our paycheck we sometimes can lose sight of the bigger picture. Whatever type of creative you are and whether you work for yourself, for a company, or are still figuring out what you want to do when you grow up, I hope that you will find nuggets of gold within these conversations. Strategies that will help you continue to move forward into your greatness and goodness. We have 24 guests that are about to share their wisdom and knowledge. Nothing is held back, and their sole goal is to help you rise. Not only are these experts in their field and change makers in their industry - they are compassionate, generous and amazing human beings, who are just as kind and generous when no-one is looking. I will be releasing these next 24 shows Netflix style. Along with this episode, you will see conversations with: Lashaun Dale Chalene Johnson Annette Lackovic Sadie Lincoln Alberto Perlman Emma Barry Once I hear from enough of you that you are ready for the next episodes, I will release the next six conversations, and so on, until all 24 are out into the world. Then it will be time for Season Three: The Business of Entrepreneurship. At the end of these 24 shows, I will also be doing one extra show. This episode is for you, about you and with you. After listening to the shows, please leave me a voicemail through Facebook Messaging or send me an email to petra@petrakolber.com Let me know your questions, feel free to share a short message on how a particular nugget or guest inspired you, or let me know what skills you use, to impact, influence, and inspire those around you. When leaving your message or email be sure to let me know if I can use your voicemail and name on the show as I would love to share your voice with the Perfection Detox podcast community. Welcome to Season Two: The Business Of Fitness  

"It Takes Time To Plough Your Own Path" David Weck Is there something you have been thinking about doing? About creating? About sharing? David talked about his road to success and how he “ready – aimed – fired.” He knew he had something that the world needed the moment he thought about creating the BOSU – the half dome where you had both a stable and unstable surface. What have you been holding off creating - waiting for the perfect moment to fire? What is one step you can take this weekend to test out your idea? Take it for a trial run with your trusted friends and move it closer to the green light of go. David talked about placing his product with influencers – way before the word influencer was a buzzword, David knew the importance of getting the buy-in of those he both respected and trusted. Is there someone you know, or even don’t know – whose "YES" to your idea or dream would give you the fuel needed to keep pushing ahead – even in times of uncertainty? Can you reach out to one influencer this weekend and put your idea, dream or thought plan in front of them to get feedback and or even a buy-in? Never forget ideas die in isolation and thrive in collaboration. David and I talk about our different struggles with who people thought we were to the story that was going on in the inside. If you are someone who struggles with anxiety or feelings of self-worth and doubt – can you reach out to someone and ask for help? There is nothing to be ashamed of and some of the most creative people I know have had internal struggles throughout parts of their life and career. This weekend I invite you – no scratch that – I need you to ask someone to listen, to help and make an appointment with someone who can help you walk through your doubt and fears. And as Pema Chodron wisely said, "fear is a natural reaction that you are moving closer to your truth." Continuing our thoughts around doubts and FEAR I want you to consider and reframe your idea of what a successful person looks like. Success does not arm you against the trials and tribulations of real life. If anything, many successful people have risen from the ashes to get to where they are today. What is it that you are afraid of? What is hiding underneath your fear? So many of us are afraid to fail – but as you have heard me say before F.A.I.L – First Attempts In Learning. What would you attempt to do if you knew that failure was only a sign that you are stretching yourself, your edges and getting ready to take flight? David talked about us being more forgiving both of ourselves and then of others. Forgiveness does not mean letting people off the hook for doing unforgivable things in the past, but it does mean unhooking yourself from the negatives that lie in the past so that they do not affect your positive future. Who is that one person who you need to forgive to be able to move forward and create your positive future?  

"Let's be More Forgiving To Ourselves and Therefore to Others" David Weck This conversation with my dear friend, fitness creator and entrepreneur could not be more timely. Yes, we talk about fitness, health and our experience within that amazing industry, but perhaps, more importantly, we talk about health - the health of our mind and how sometimes it can seem to become a foe versus a friend. David talks about his struggles with mental health and I talk about my struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. As David says so well, "It's time to stop pretending."  We begin on a light note reminiscing about how we first met and David' start as a New York actor, who found his way into fitness and eventually became a pioneer with his invention of the BOSU. As David rollerbladed everywhere in NYC, his feet became extremely weak from always being in roller blades and that led to a back problem.  So that led to David training with a stability ball, then standing on the stability ball and by constantly falling off the stability ball he asked himself "what if I cut it in half?"  And then the Bosu ball was born. David shares what it took to get his product out into the world. He believes that three trains have to leave the station for an inventor, entrepreneur and especially one that's on a budget to have a chance of succeeding. The first one is your intellectual property, the second is the manufacturing, and the third is the marketing. David discusses the fact that not only is there a physical benefit that comes when we work on our balance but there is also a psychological benefit.  The more physiologically confident we are at the fundamental level, the better you able better able we are to stand up, express our ideas, opinions, and share our knowledge with other people without the impediment of feeling off balance. At 34:50  We move into talking about the importance of finding balance and sustainable balance within our own health and especially the relationship we have with our mind. We discuss the idea of the conventional churn and burn of the grind of true life, the life that everybody portrays, and then the shiny cover of the book that we all tend to want to project. David shares his struggles with anxiety and how it led to him self-medicating from an early age with alcohol. We travel through his journey of finding a way to being able to operate in the world and the extreme measures it took for him to rebalance his mental state to one that could function well on a daily basis. We both discuss our own struggles and how it took medical intervention along with the assistance of seasoned professionals for us both to find peace with ourselves and the lives we live today. Connect With David Online and Social Media Website Instagram Facebook Twitter More About David David's long-term mission is to fundamentally enhance physical education in an effort to stem impending societal issues for a better tomorrow. He believes health care should begin with movement education. David is grateful to all the talented and dedicated fitness professionals who use his products and programming to help others achieve better balance, performance, and health. He currently conducts private training for serious fitness enthusiasts and athletes and offers consultations for aspiring inventors and entrepreneurs. What is BOSU®? What began as the launch of one of the most innovative products the fitness industry has ever seen turned out to be just the start of a journey that continues to expand, shape and define functional training. Invented by David Weck, the BOSU® Balance Trainer debuted in 2000 and quickly became one of the most successful fitness training products in the world. Originally the name “BOSU” was an acronym for “Both Sides Up.” It meant that the BOSU® Balance Trainer could be used on either side, the dome or the platform. Today, the term “BOSU” has evolved beyond the product to now mean “Both Sides Utilized,” a mindful approach to exercise that is a step beyond traditional training. This clarity of who we are and what we want to offer inspired the development of additional BOSU® products and programming, all of which are grounded in exercise science and proven in real-life application. BOSU® Training is about expanding movement capabilities, reshaping bodies and strengthening minds. It’s about inserting thought into movement. It’s about asking our clients, fitness students and athletes to be physically involved, but to also be present and fully engaged in the training process. It doesn’t matter if you’re facing the toughest competition of your athletic career, looking to return to a fitter you, or just starting out. BOSU® Training can see you through it all with new challenges and exercise progressions always just around the corner.  

"Starve Your Fear By Feeding Your Faith" Heather Thomson 1. Heather mentioned that she “starves her fears by feeding her faith” and it is not that we will never feel fear, but what does it take so that we can do “it” afraid. I often reflect on what it takes to FEAR – Face Everything And Rise instead of FEAR – Forget Everything And Run. Is there something you have been putting off for the fear that is will not go as planned, go perfectly or perhaps even go better than you could imagine? – as that brings up a whole other level of fear. Think about one step you could take to help move you closer to being able to feel your fear and do it anyway. 2. Heather shared her thoughts on the adversity advantage and I do believe that it is not what happened to us that is the story – but how we react to what happens to us that will enable us to soar and shine. We all have things in our life that we wish had gone differently. Take a moment to reflect back lightly on a challenging time. Did it make you better or bitter? Do you view yourself as a victim or victorious? It is not always easy to see the good, and there is nothing wrong in taking the time to grieve and heal – and then it is important to release the negatives of your past so that you can cement and build your positive future. 3. A Masters In Heart & Hustle. Heather shared her unconventional backstory to success. Her Masters came from working in the fashion world instead of being in school. She talked about getting a foot in the door and the importance of constantly being open to learning. I often talk with people who feel that they don’t have “enough” credentials behind them to go for their dreams, and this is something I struggled with for many years. If you knew that you only needed to know a little more information than the people you want to inspire and motivate – would you already be out in the world sharing your message? 4. Heather is a big advocate of mentorship and talked about the importance of helping others rise as we travel our own path to success. Is there someone that you could reach out to mentor under? Someone who is already doing what it is you are wanting to do? Can you trade your time their information? Now look back and is there someone you could mentor? Someone who could help you with their time in trade for you sharing your tips and strategies for success? 5. Heather talked about the importance of knowing our light and being able to shine brightly and also how it sometimes will serve the work we are doing to allow those around you to take center stage. Technology is reducing our ability to being able to read a room and recognize what it needs. Emotional Intelligence is defined as the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. – EQ or emotional intelligence is just like a muscle, you have to use it or you lose it. Unfortunately, as we are all behind our screens so much it is something we can all use to cultivate and strengthen. Notice the next time you walk into a meeting, a party or just meet someone for the first time. Can you listen more than you talk and can you bring into the room what it is that people are hoping to find?  

“Think About What You Love And Move Towards That” Heather Thompson In this conversation, Heather shares both her highlight reel and more interestingly her backstory about the hard work and hustle that it took as she climbed the mountain of success. Not content to sit on her celebrity status that she found through her time on the hit reality show, The Real Housewives Of New York, Heather recently took her success all the way to the top of the mountains of Nepal, to help raise money and awareness for the underserved in that community. We begin the show by talking about how Heather engineered her own, “school of design” through mentorship, hard work and her ability to turn every opportunity into street credibility within the fashion industry. Raised by a mother who encouraged her to follow her passion, Heather climbed her way up the ladder through hard work and creativity, to eventually become the founder of her own, very successful line of fashion wear. Heather shares what it took to enable her to do it “afraid.” She talks about the fact that she never sought overnight success, but rather a foot in the door that would allow her, along with patience and persistence to succeed and soar. Heather shares that her drive and ambition are also balanced by her desire to help those around her also succeed. We talk about the importance of recognizing our light and unique talents that we bring to the table, along with the power of collaboration and especially the importance of mentorship. We talk about the fear of failure and it was refreshing to hear Heathers perspective on this topic. While we all have fears, Heather shares that she "starves her fears by feeding her faith." She goes on to say that her failures do not define her but rather they mold her into the strong dynamic person that she is meant to be. She talks about the importance of creating a resilient mindset that will allow you to embrace the good the bad and the in between. We talk about Heather being an “everybody-ist” and she believes that to be able to create change in this world, it is important to create a diverse and dynamic table where many different people and personalities are invited.  She talks about the importance of learning the skill of reading a room to be able to get an emotional pulse at every meeting. This is the way you are to able to create a team where everyone can shine and succeed. Heather talks about ‘the adversity advantage” and how often our worst times can be the catalyst moments for the greatness to appear. She also talks about the importance of recognizing the times when we may also need to sit in the dark times for a while and allow ourselves to dig deep to see what is really under the fear or negative emotions. Shifting gears we touch on her time in the world of reality TV when she was a fan favorite on The Real Housewives Of NYC. She shares her most unexpected lessons from her time in front of the camera and how she has leveraged her “fame” to raise awareness for her charities. Just last week Heather completed her climb to Mera Peak in Nepal. This 21,246 feet climb is one that would challenge any of us, but in true Heather fashion, she completed the challenge with heart. Back down off the mountain, Heather continues to raise awareness for the many who are underserved. To find out where you can support Heather and find out more about the orphanage in Nepal click here:   Connect With Heather Online and Social Media  Website Instagram Facebook Twitter No Barriers USA More About Heather Heather Thomson envisions the goals that she wants to achieve and then does whatever it takes to make them happen. Instead of focusing on critics or naysayers, she focuses on believing in herself and using her immense work-ethic, strong self-discipline and determination. Heather says, “When you go through hardships and decide not to give up, that is strength”. It is from this experience that Thomson has garnered 25+ years of fashion experience under her belt, including serving as Design Director for the Sean “Diddy” Combs line, Sean John, and Co-Creative Director alongside Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Lopez to launch and develop their respective labels. In 2008, Heather founded her innovative and fashion-forward collection, Yummie by Heather Thomson which changed the shapewear and lifestyle game for women. To many, Heather is an adored reality star that got her claim to fame from her 3 years on the hit Bravo reality series, The Real Housewives of New York City, showcasing her life as a married fashion executive, international business professional, and mother of two.  

"Bring Value And Interest To All Your Relationships" David Burkus David talked about the importance of bringing value to our relationships, and I know for me, especially when it comes to meeting new people and expanding my existing network, I can often feel intimidated. If you feel the same way, I can guarantee you that you have so much to offer in terms of your strengths and skillsets. However often times we are only good at noticing our weaknesses. If you are stumped as to what you bring to the table I encourage you to go over to viacharacter.org and do their quick strength assessment. VIA stands for virtues in action, and this quick 20-minute session will reveal to you all the amazing things that you bring to the world. David invites us to reframe the idea that a network is not something we build but rather something we exist within - take a moment and think about your circle of friends and circle of influence. How strong is your inner network? Do you contribute to its vitality and growth? Is there something that you could do to deepen your level of contribution? David talked about the importance of coming into each conversation with interest and I also think curiosity. The next time that you feel nervous about meeting someone, can you reframe your nerves into excitement? See the meeting or dinner as an opportunity to bring something new to the table, and to walk away having learned something new? David talks about Social Capital and the value that comes from being in a community that has a strong level of trust – he also talks about the social capital that comes from us accumulating capital by being surrounded by a strong network. He encourages us to become the gardener and to tend to our network and this, in turn, allows us to bring great value into our network. What is one thing you can do this weekend to tend to your community? By being the connector, the gardener, and the nurturer, you will help both yourself and your connections flourish and thrive. We talk about the challenge that we all have in the cocktail party situation and David gave us his example of how he opens up the conversation with an open-ended question – one that cannot be answered with a yes or a no. Can you come up with two or three new questions that you can ask when you feel as though the energy is low and that you can use when you have to do the awkward thing of introducing yourself? A question that shines your light on the person you are talking to and creates a pathway and opportunity to learn, to engage and to meet someone new while also having fun?  

"Bring Value And Tend To Your Community" David Burkus Today David Burkus releases his new book Friend Of A Friend, Understanding The Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life And Career. In this conversation, we talk about the word networking: the good, the bad and the in between. David shares his thoughts on how to bring value to your community and how to be the person who is the gardener that tends to your relationships (network) with interest and enthusiasm. I talk about the idea that often people believe they don’t have enough to offer to be worthy of showing up and deserving a seat at the table – and in turn being a part of the network - David shares his thoughts on how we all have so much to offer and that it is a subtle shift in our thinking that can help us overcome this internal barrier. David shares his unique perspective that we exist within a network versus it being something we own. We wrap up the conversation talking about the dread of networking at social events and how we can make it more enjoyable for ourselves when we create conversations that are meaningful. It is when we bring a sense of curiosity and interest to all of our interactions that the magic can appear. Connect With David Online And Social Media Website Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Podcast More About David David Burkus is a best-selling author, a sought after speaker, and business school professor. In 2017, he was named as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50 His forthcoming book, Friend of a Friend, offers readers a new perspective on how to grow their networks and build key connections—one based on the science of human behavior, not rote networking advice. He is also the author of Under New Management and The Myths of Creativity. David is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and his work has been featured in Fast Company, the Financial Times, Inc magazine, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and CBS This Morning. David’s innovative views on leadership have earned him invitations to speak to leaders from a variety of organizations. He’s delivered keynote speeches and workshops for Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Stryker and governmental and military leaders at the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval Postgraduate School. His TED talk has been viewed over 1.8 million times. When he’s not speaking or writing, David is in the classroom. He is associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University where he was recently named one of the nation’s “Top 40 Under 40 Professors Who Inspire.”

"The Greatest Coaching Tool You Can Use is To Upgrade Your Self-Talk" Alisa Cohn Alisa talked a lot about the tenacity, perseverance and stick to it attitude that it took to got her through her tougher times as a coach when she was starting out over 16 years ago. She believes that when we can remember our purpose (and this can be with a little p) and when we stay in alignment and make choices that move us closer to our purpose, that we will be able to stay buoyant during the challenging times. This weekend reflect on your values, your purpose and what brings meaning to your life. Then gently reflect on your work life, your family life and your life out in the world. Are they in alignment? Do they fuel one another? Do you feel as though the choices you make are moving you closer to what matters? Alisa talked about the importance of gratitude. She reminded us to “Always and forever focus on what you do have” I mentioned that my mentor Tal Ben Shahar often said appreciate the good and the good, will appreciate. Take a moment to reflect back on this past week. With a light touch notice, if you noticed more of what was going well or more of what was going wrong. Remember our negativity bias will pull us to the dark if we are not mindful. This weekend spend the morning thinking about two things you are looking forward to that day. Spend mid-morning bringing to mind two people that make your life sweeter, and in the evening reflect back on your day and think of two things that you are grateful for. “Upgrade your self-talk” This was Alicia’s top coaching tool, one that she recommends we all nurture and strengthen. The conversations we have internally when no one is looking will either beat us up or lift us up. This weekend become more aware of the silent conversations that go on behind the scenes – with curiosity and once again a light touch, simply notice how many times you catch yourself in a self-talk that is negative in nature. Find a mini mantra that you can use to stop the old tapes. Perhaps it is "I am enough" or my favorite, "Be Here Now"  As when we are in the present moment the worries and doubts of the past or future drift away. Alisa talks about the importance of self-care and how to manage our time well. Tactically she reflected on the importance of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Alisa also talked about emotional self-care and the importance of having people in your life that you can be yourself with. She also reminded us of the importance of carving out time to do what nourishes your inner world. Some examples are reading, gardening, sports or family time. This weekend pick one of these areas and make one small choice that will nourish your life. Each day, try and take one more action step that will move you closer to being your best self. Small habits each day will create massive positive change over time. Alisa talks about motivation and how to find it on the days we feel empty. She reminded us of the power that comes with asking open-ended questions – ones that cannot be answered with a simple yes or not – to help us mine the data that can fuel our dreams. This weekend reflect on a few open-ended questions: What fires up your joy? What do you love to do? How do you want to be remembered? What have you not done that you said you would do? And then ask the powerful question of – if not now – when? If not you – who?  

"Surround Yourself With People Who Remind You Of Your Greatness" Alisa Cohn Alisa Cohn is an Executive Coach who helps executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders. In this show, she answers questions from our audience on leadership, motivation and how to bring out the best in yourself and others. Alisa talks about what it takes to grow a business and move it from two people into a company of two hundred. Her expertise comes in helping others cultivate resiliency and create strategies that will help them discover and move through the pain points without the emotions getting in the way. She talks about the mounting pressure that comes when everyone’s eyes are on you and gives tips on how to how to manage the stress and strain that come with any form of growth. Resiliency is crucial to any success and Alisa shares her strategy on how purpose will keep us going when times are tough. "Use your purpose as your beacon to guide you." Knowing that you are going to do something significant in the world is where the juice lies. We go back in time to when Alisa first began coaching over sixteen years ago. She shares her struggles and that it was her tenacity, persistence, and drive that kept her going. Alisa shares ways that we can cultivate these traits. We talk about when to hold on and when to let go, especially when our emotions are so interwoven into our work. More than often successful companies have pulled out more than one miracle to keep going. We all need to surround ourselves with a tribe of people who will remind us of our greatness and yet tell us when it is time to let go. Alisa talks about the power of asking open-ended questions, and when we bring a sense of lightness and curiosity to each moment, we can help find the miracles. She also reveals the greatest question of all. (Tune in to hear what it is). We wrap up the questions from the audience by discussing the importance of self-care and how to make sure we take the time to nourish our mind, body, and spirit. Connect With Alisa Online and Social Media Website Twitter LinkedIn Facebook More About Alisa Alisa is an executive coach who works with senior executives and high potential leaders to help them create positive permanent shifts in their leadership impact and the results they achieve. She works one-on-one with CEOs and executives and with senior teams to help them work together better and create much impact as a team. She works with Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups. She was recently named one of the Top 100 leadership speakers by Inc. Magazine. She also works with executive teams to help them be stronger as a team, have the right conversations and take the right actions to move forward faster. Alisa provides practical tools and serves as a thought partner to support the challenging process of change. Leaders get the chance to practice their new behaviors and troubleshoot before doing them live. Prior to becoming a coach, Alisa, a CPA, was the CFO of Clairvergent Technology Group, a Vice President at two high-tech start-ups. She was a manager and consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Monitor Group. Alisa holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BS from Boston University. She is a guest lecturer at Harvard and Cornell Universities and the Naval War College. She is a coach for the prestigious Linkage Global Institute for Leadership Development and for the Center for Inclusive Security, Harvard University. Alisa is the executive coach for Runway - the incubator at Cornell NYC Tech that helps post-docs commercialize their technology and build companies. She serves on the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Advisory Committee and the President’s Council of Cornell Women. She was selected as one of the Top 10 Coaches by Women’s Business, which called her “absolutely brilliant, laugh-out-loud hilarious and a superhero.” A dynamic speaker and skilled facilitator, she is known for her humor, energy, results-orientation and motivational style, along with a propensity to burst into song without warning.

"Your Ideas Are Unique, Go Explore Them And Take Them Out Into The World" Patricia Moreno Patricia believes that a strong body is a requirement for a great life. When we move we create more energy, have increased vitality and a strong body will be the vehicle that will carry us into our dreams. Are you working so hard, or working out so hard, that the joy and enthusiasm have been stripped away? Patricia reminded us that it is our joy and our gratitude that will bring out the beauty in our life. Notice the next time you go to the gym or exercise – how are you feeling – before – during and after? Do you feel energized or depleted after the workout and before you start do you feel excited or already exhausted? Check in to make sure that your workout is a sense of motivation instead of deprivation. How do you measure your self-worth? Patricia talked about how that in the past she measured her worth by her weight and I know many women who struggle with the same metrics. Notice this week how many times you look in the mirror, get on the scale or are constantly thinking about how you look. With brave and bold kindness and on the times you hear your inner bully getting a little too loud, simply say to yourself " I am enough and I refuse to beat myself up any longer." Where is your focus? Patricia talked about the strength of our thoughts, and as science is showing us – our thoughts will drive our focus and where our focus goes our life will flow. We are constantly having an internal dialog with ourselves and it often becomes such a part of our day that we do not even realize it is going on until it is too late. On the days or moments when all of a sudden you begin to feel a little down or out of sorts – when you are aware and alert you can interrupt the chatter and rewrite the script of your life to stay on course and moving toward the positive. Are you hammering the physical and neglecting the emotional and spiritual parts of your life? This was a question Patricia asked us to consider and perhaps over the next few days you can take time to sit and reflect to see if there is an area of your wellness wheel that could use some nurturing and TLC - to live a big, bold and beautiful life we need to take the time to make sure that we strengthen not only our bodies but our hearts and minds. Moving Mountains through Action: Both Patricia and I see so many people asking the question – “who am I to be sharing my ideas with the world” and Patricia reminds us that there is nothing like action to shift out self-doubt. As she quoted in our conversation "Self-doubt creates mountains but action moves mountains" What is one action step you can start today to begin to get your momentum moving? Remember perfection is a lie and your struggles are your goldmine.   -  

"Bring Real, Brave, Honest Kindness Into Your Life" Patricia Moreno I begin this episode by reflecting on how I first remember seeing Patricia. It was after a long bus ride to a mall in New Jersey to watch her compete in an aerobics competition. Fast forward to sitting across from my dear friend over two decades later for a heart opening conversation about, life, love and kindness. We talk about Patricia's highlight reel and her backstory. It was when Patricia was at her highest moment in her career that everything fell apart behind the scenes. A year into a national television show that she was hosting, Patricia was called in to a meeting with the management team and was confronted about her increasing weight that was magnified by being on camera. This low moment became a pivotal moment, and was the catalyst for her current work. “Thin at any cost” was Patricia’s mantra for many years and she was determined to move out of that mindset, and help thousands of women do the same. We talk about Patricia’s investigation into her own life and how she was determined to create a methodology that would allow us to create sustainable change in a healthy and productive way. We both talk about our struggles with trying to show up as our best self. Patricia shares her journey of how she kept moving forward determined to share her work while allowing her fear to sit in the backseat. It was in her vulnerability that she found her power. We talk about the long road to her "overnight" success of Intensati and Patricia reveals the struggles, failures and the many iterations that were needed for her to build her brand and move from having a career to her calling. Patricia is willing to talk about the hard stuff - the truth that fitness and health is not easy. She believes that much of the frustration and failure comes with the notion that the road to heath should be easy. “If you keep doing things that are easy – it will make you weak.” One of Patricia's core beliefs is that a strong body is a requirement for a great life – for our energy – our vitality and our dreams. It is your joy and your gratitude that will bring out the beauty in you and your life. To download Patricia's Free workbook click here: Connect With Patricia Online and Social Media Website Facebook Twitter Instagram More About Patricia Patricia Moreno is the founder of spiritual fitness and with over 20 years of teaching and public speaking experience, she has been a trailblazer in the wellness world for many years. Creating integrative practices, innovative workouts and empowering leader trainings, Patricia has changed the lives of tens of thousands of people worldwide. Patricia is committed to being a powerful force for positive change in the world, and continues to find revolutionary ways to uplift and motivate others to practice self-love, positivity and gratitude. In an effort to end her own struggle with her weight, eating disorders and body image issues, she created her signature workout, the intenSati Method: a revolutionary concept that combines the power of positivity, high-energy cardio, mindfulness and meditation to help people unleash their inner warrior and become greater than they ever thought possible. Her latest offering is the culmination of her years of work, study and practice; Sati365 synthesizes Patricia's personal coaching program in the form of a self-study and practice program, centered around a daily morning practice including success principles such as meditation, visualization, goal setting, affirmations and movement to make every day the best day. Patricia is an international speaker, inspiring worldwide at Google, Equinox, Nike, Reebok, and The Limited among other notable organizations. She has been featured in publications such as Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Shape, Glamour, Well + Good, and on the Today Show, Ask Dr. Nandi, Good Morning America and Dr Oz.

"You've Been Invited To The Table For A Reason - Trust That" Tricia Brouk Can you feel the fear and do it anyway? Tricia mentioned that she does not allow fear to get in the way of her going for her dreams. What is it that is standing between you and the life you want to create? I often use the acronym FEAR Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise. Pema Chodron reminds us that fear is a natural reaction that we are getting closer to our truth. Can you do one action this weekend to move yourself one step further away from the fear and one step closer to being able to live your truth? Tricia talked about the need to feel safe, both in our environment and with the people we are surrounding ourselves with. She believes it is important to surround yourself with people who will lift you up, support you and allow you to feel heard. Often times we spent a lot of time pruning and cultivating our social media following, yet it may have been many years since we have really pruned and cultivated the relationships that we spend the most time with. Take a moment and reflect on the five people who are closest to you. Do they always support you? Do they always have your best interest at heart? Do they lift you up? Do you feel energized when you are around them? What is one thing you could do this weekend to make sure the relationships of the people who are closest to you nurture you, empower you, and allow you to grow into the person you are meant to be. And a deeper reflection are you allowing those closest to you to do the same? Don't Take Anything Personally. Trisha talked about her ability not to take things personally. In one of my favorite books The Four Agreements one of the agreements is just that - to not to take anything personally. When we are in the present moment we are better able to catch ourselves when we personalize the experience. When we are worrying about the past or feeling anxious about the future it is difficult to separate our perception of the experience from the reality of the situation. This weekend if you find yourself taking things personally can you pause, breathe, and check in to see if you’re in the present moment. Ask yourself what do I know for sure? Then with just the facts you can move forward without dragging the anxiety and worries that appear when we personalize the experience. Tricia shared her tips and strategies to allow us to create the most impact. Her three mega traits that she feels are important are as follows: Observation – observing our surroundings, observing the people in front of us, observing our reactions, I’m observing how we can elevate the situation that we are in.    Presence -the gift of our presence, being fully present, as the power of the moment can only happen when we are in the present moment. Honesty-there is a lot of talk these days about being authentic and honest. Yet this can be really challenging especially when the stakes are high. But it is when we are open and honest we will actually draw to us the people that will allow us to be our best selves and do our best work. You have been invited to the party for a reason - trust that. We talk about how challenging it can be when meeting new people. There’re very few people that I know that enjoy having to make small talk, especially when it comes to networking or relationship building. Trisha gives us a few tips that’ll help us be able to bring our best self to every situation, and quite possibly even enjoy it. Know who you are: introvert / extrovert - ambivert. Know where you feel the most comfortable and prepare if you know the situation is one that may create a little anxiety for you. Practice what you are going to say – well at least the opening few lines. While I hate to think of an elevator pitch as being something we bring to a meeting, it can help us prepare as we get settled into the new situation.

"Stop Selling and Start Inspiring" Tricia Brouk Disclaimer: At 53:50 we have the first F Bomb ever on the show and it is perfect :) I have known Tricia for many years and first remember seeing Tricia when she was dancing in the Ben Munisteri Dance company. In this interview we talk about how Tricia transitioned from the world of dance into helping others craft their talks and presentations. I ask Tricia what it is that keeps her so motivated and driven in her life. It was refreshing to hear her say that she is willing to ask for help and does not let fear get in her way on the journey into her best work. We talk about perfection and how even during her career as a dancer she was able to separate the expectations that came with the dance world and the essence of who she is. Tricia talks about how the constant rejections that she heard as dancer helped her build her resilience and drive. These were two of her greatest traits that enabled her to move into the world of being an entrepreneur and now co-creator of TEDx Lincoln Square, NYC. Tricia talks about the importance of believing in ourselves even when things fall through and that when we allow ourself to mourn the "what we had hoped for" we can move forward and recreate our magnificent future. We talk about Tricias methodology of how she helps people share their ideas with the world. We also discuss the common fear around the idea of "do I have anything worth saying and sharing?" and how to move through these doubts and forge ahead. We cover social media, the impact it has on our life, the importance of cultivating and crafting our online presence  and most importantly, how not to take things personally. She encourages us to “Surround yourself with people who hear you, support you and will only lift you up” and this is both in real life and online. Tricia talks about the magic that happens when we bring our most authentic self to the room. She also believes that some of the magic happens when we stop speaking and begin listening. We discuss the importance of empathetic listening and the value of then reflecting back what we just heard as this allows us to make sure that the person in front of use feels noticed, heard, and valued. Tricia shares her tips and strategies to having our voices heard so we can share our ideas and values with those we love and in the areas we want to make an impact. Her top three super traits are: 1. Observation 2. Presence 3. Honesty Tricia talks about how to work with our nerves and our responses – it is when we stop taking everything personally that we can separate our self from the situation. When we get curious in our emotions it allows us to stay present and recognize what it is we are actually experiencing. She also encourages us to think about what we need to do to be able to bring our most fearless self to the table (even if we do feel anxiety) 1. Know who you are: introvert / extrovert 2. Know where you feel the most comfortable 3. Practice what you are going to say - What is your opening line? We wrap up the show with Tricia sharing her biggest disappointment in her career and that in fact this was also her greatest opportunity. I also believe that much of this magic happens when we are just able to sit in the not knowing. Connect With Tricia Online Website Podcast Facebook Twitter TEDx Lincoln Square   More About Tricia Tricia Brouk is a writer, director and choreographer. She is director and executive producer of the new series Sublets which won the best comedy at the Vancouver Web-Fest, 2017.  She is currently producing and directing a new short documentary about the Chaplin on Riker's Island, who's Buddhist.  She choreographed, Black Box for ABC, choreographed and appeared in The Affair for Showtime, Rescue Me on Fox, and Lasse Hallstrom’s The Hoax. She also choreographed John Turturro’s feature film Romance and Cigarettes, where she received a Golden Thumb award from Roger Ebert. Tricia has also contributed a chapter to the new book called A Life In Dance and has been featured in Inc, Harvard Business Review and The Huffington Post. Her podcast The Big Talk  is about the art of speaking where she talks to people who talk for a living. Be sure to subscribe to the Perfection Detox Podcast on iTunes so that you never miss a show. I would be so appreciative if you can also take the time to leave an honest review.

"Stop, Listen, Feel Your Life" Joy Prouty Joy talked about the importance of always learning. She believes it keeps us young, it keeps as curious, and keeps us engaged in life. As you know recently I have begun to study how to be a DJ. As frustrating as it sometimes can be, it keeps me in the moment, in flow and my brain engaged. Are you involved in learning something new that allows you to stretch your comfort zone? Is there is something you have been wanting to try but have not gotten around to it because of either a lack of time or because you are afraid of not being able to do it perfectly? Can you take one step this weekend that will move you back into the learners seat? Maybe it’s going online and seeing what resources are available to you. Perhaps it’s asking a friend if they be interested in joining you. Or maybe it’s going to the library and doing some research to see what it would take to pursue your new passion. This weekend I invite you to take one step that could reignite your curiosity. Joy talked about keeping good community around us at all times. I’ve also witnessed the power of strong friendships. Reflect upon the people closest to you. Are they all they all the same age? Do they have varied interests? Do they live close to you, or do most of them live far away? This is a good time to check in with your heart and the strength of your social relationships. More importantly the relationships that happen face-to-face and heart to heart. Many times we can feel connected online but in reality we actually have very little day to day physical interaction, this can leave us feeling both alone and lonely. What is one thing you could do expand and strengthen your relationships, both old and new? Joy and I both talked about never being too old to start something new. Yet sometimes it can feel as though it is too late to try something that we have never done before. Is there a dream or a goal you have been putting off because you feel it is too late or that you are too old? What if your goals were really your dreams but with a timeline attached. Imagine what you would do if you knew you would not fail. Remember FAIL – stands for first attempts in learning. You cannot learn if you do not try. Joy talked a lot about luck. Oprah said that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. In my opinion Joy has created a lot of her own luck both in her life and in her career. Joy mentioned flying herself down to meet Gin Miller before she knew that was a real opportunity, and I have be known to fly myself to meetings just to get face time with the person I am hoping to work with. Is there something you could do to create more of your own luck? Is there someone you could reach out to? Is there someone you could mentor with? or is there someone you could ask to help you? We can never fulfill our dreams without asking for help. And when you ask for help you may get some no’s, but who knows when the next person will say yes. Today I invite you to put on your cape of courage, and make that call, send that email, take that trip to get that face-to-face time, and move one step closer to creating more luck in your life. Joy talked about the importance of knowing who you are and to not with those around you. I often talk about the importance of knowing our strengths, and when we work from our strengths while still knowing the areas we still can improve upon – we will do our best work. When we look to others for inspiration and motivation, but the only comparison we make, is comparing our yesterday to our today, we can collaborate expand and grow.  

"It Was Love At First Step" Joy Prouty We recorded this on Valentine's Day at the Zumba headquarters in Florida. Please enjoy the background atmosphere at no extra charge:) What a privilege to grab an hour with my mentor and fitness icon Joy Prouty. In this episode Joy gives me a history lesson in fitness. I begin the conversation reflecting on when I first met Joy, it was before I was even teaching fitness. A few years later it was Joy who certified me in the Reebok programs. We go back to when Step Reebok first began and how Joy was working with Reebok before the first fitness sneaker was even created. She shares her memories of being a part of the fitness revolution before Step Reebok was developed, and how she flew herself to meet Gin Miller in Atlanta to secure a position as part of the first Step Reebok Team. Joy shares how she began her dancing career as a back up dancer in Pittsburg and how she quickly soared to stardom as a Rockette at The Radio City Music Hall in New York City. After two years in the city she knew her first love was teaching versus performing. She transitioned to teaching fitness based movement classes which included running ran a super successful program at Elizabeth Arden. Shortly after, Joy took the leap and opened her own studio in West Palm Beach. Fast forward a few years and Joy became a part of the Reebok family. Alongside the likes of Gin Miller, Tamilee Webb, Ken Alan, Linda Shelton and Josie Gardner she helped create fitness history. We move into how Joy began working with Zumba and that often times she would take the leap and then figure things out. In 2006 Joy and Josie met the owners of Zumba and shared the importance of creating a program for seniors and over a handshake deal - Zumba Gold was born. Joy is almost 77 and is as vital as most 30 year olds. She shares how everyday she feels grateful for the day ahead of her and she believes in the importance of strengthening and training our happiness. Joy shares her morning ritual which includes meditation and movement. She believes in always staying the student and being a forever learner. We talk about there being a time for everything and that we are responsible for creating our powerful future. Knowing when it is time to step away from the past, let go and move joyfully into the future. We talk about how to age well in an industry that favors the young. Joy talks about the importance of celebrating the people around you, without trying to compete with them. The joy and freedom comes with celebrating who we are today, not who we were a decade ago goes a long way in helping us stay young. We talk about the importance of being true to who we are and Joy encourages us all to stay young at heart, stay curious and to find community that will help you flourish and thrive. Connect With Joy Online Zumba More About Joy Joy Prouty is the Director of Education – Programming and Training for Zumba Fitness LLC. She is also the Co-Developer of the Zumba Gold Program, and was featured in the Zumba Gold Live It Up Consumer DVDs. Joy is a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette. She is an internationally renowned fitness instructor, trainer and educator and has been known for her innovative teaching style and program development for over 40 years. She served on the American College of Sports Medicine’s Summit Committee for 13 years, and was a member of ACSM’s Certification Committee for 7 years. She was also a member of the Reebok University Development Team for 8 years focusing on Program development and International instructor training. She and Josie Gardiner have co-authored several books, and 4 Harvard Medical School Special Health Reports, as well as choreographed and starred in over 25 video/DVDs. Joy also co authored the Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan and a 12 week Getting Started Program for Breast Cancer Survivors and used by the YMCA Pink Program. Prouty is certified by ACSM as a Health Fitness Director and Health Fitness Instructor, by ACE, AFAA, AEA , and Welcoaches. Be sure to subscribe to the Perfection Detox Podcast on iTunes so that you never miss a show. I would be so appreciative if you can also take the time to leave an honest review.

"Aging Well is about Enjoying What Is, Instead of Focusing on What Was" Dr. Kerry Burnight It’s time to diversify your social portfolio: I loved this idea of not only diversifying our finances, as we get older but also our friendships. Dr. Burnight encourages us to make sure we have a circle of friends that include people who are younger than us, older than us, live close to us and also live far away. How strong and diverse is your social network? Can you reach out to someone younger than you and perhaps someone older? How are your relationships with friends who may no longer be living in the same town as you? Maybe this is the time, to spend time, nurturing and strengthening your circle of love, joy and friendship. How do you envision your older self? Dr. Burnight encourages us to really think about, reflect upon and plan for our future self. Not our younger self – but how we would envision living in our 60’s and beyond. If your partner is older than you, how would your life look without them? If you no longer were working would you have enough in your retirement to allow yourself to enjoy your golden years? Do you see yourself working into your seventies? Do you want to travel the world or start a new career when the one you are in right now comes to an end? Imagine yourself in your later years and then ask yourself: Who do I want to be with? What do I want to be doing? Where do I want to be living? And how do I want to feel? How do you want to be remembered? I love the saying by Mahatma Gandhi, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you were to live forever” What do you want your legacy to be? How can you leave the world a little better than when you found it. We often think we can wait till next week, or next month to start living to our fullest, but time does not wait for anyone. Perhaps think of one thing you can begin today that will make the world a little better tomorrow. Beauty comes from enjoying what is instead of wishing for what was. Dr. Burnight shared that her most joyous elders are the ones who are at peace with their age, and are living their today as if it is their best day. I know as I move into my fifties and on the days when I have aches and pains I can sometimes feel wishful for my younger self, but this only wastes precious time. I invite you to notice over the next few days if you find yourself wishing for things of the past, simply notice and then gently and kindly bring your presence and attention back to the present moment. Do you have a lot Of POOF’s in your life? Dr. Burnight spoke about the importance of removing as many poofs as possible P.O.F – Points Of Frustration. I know there have been times in my life when something has really bothered me but I have neglected to do anything about it. Is there something in your life, something that you do have some control over that you find frustrating? What is one thing you could do tomorrow to shift either your perspective on the situation, or take an action step that could change the situation for the better? We often make the excuse of not having enough time, but the time we spend to make a situation less frustrating will be time very well spent.

"To Age Brilliantly Diversify Your Social Portfolio" Dr. Kerry Burnight This interview is one that we all need to listen to. Whether you are in the early stages of contemplating how you want to live your life as you move into your second stage, or whether you have a parents who are now in their later years, Dr. Kerry Burnight discusses many of the important topics that often go unaddressed due to our faulty relationship with aging. A big ah ha moment for Dr. Burnight was when she asked a group of fourth graders "what happens to us when we get older?" and the response was "you get ugly." Recognizing that there was much work to do, Dr. Burnight has made it her mission to redefine what aging looks and feels like. Dr. Kerry likes the term pro-aging, as anti-aging sets the tone for us holding onto the past. She encourages us to age brilliantly, beautifully and on our own terms. It is when we can accept and be thankful for what is versus what was, that the beauty opens up. Aging well is about being the best you that you can be, where you are and at the age you are today. We talk about some of the "false truths" that come with getting older and it is only when we talk about dying that we can live our life to the fullest. Dr. Kerry talks about first imagining yourself as an older version of yourself. Who would you be with? Who do you want to be? What type of life do you want to live? She encourages us to think about someone we know, who is older and who we respect. What are they doing well that we can replicate? Dr. Kerry also talks about the importance of diversifying our social portfolio, so that we have people in our inner circle who are both younger and older and live both near and far away. Dr Burnight talks about how we can use technology to help us stay connected, especially as we get older. She also shares the importance of how we have to make sure that the technology of today can be used easily and without frustration with our aging population. She is part of the team who has created the wonderful systems behind The grandPad, which is specifically designed for people who who want to age brilliantly. You can find more information about The grandPad here: Dr. Kerry shares the importance of removing as many poofs as possible. POF - Points Of Frustration. and as our loved ones age and as we get older, how can we design our life to keep our enjoyment while limiting our frustrations as time passes. In this interview we talk about the challenges that can come when dealing with loved ones. Dr. Kerry encourages us all to be mindful of how we speak to our elders. Just like us, they are looking for autonomy, dignity and respect. She gives many simple tips that we can use immediately - one being to speak in lower tones as the first thing to go with our hearing is the higher pitch tones. She invites us to consider that perhaps our loved ones do not have hearing problems, but rather we have speaking problems. She also gives us tips and strategies to make sure our elders are protected whenever they are online or on the phone. A wonderful conversation to help us all age brilliantly. Connect With Dr. Burnight Online and Social Media grandPad grandPad on Twitter Dr, Kerry on LinkedIn More About Dr. Kerry Burnight Dr. Burnight served as a Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the University of California, Irvine for 17 years. She is also the Co-Founder and Director of the nation’s first Elder Abuse Forensic Center, where she wrestles with the county's most difficult cases of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Her mission is to tackle Senior loneliness and how we have to honor and pay attention to our seniors because feeling disconnected and lonely is actually a health risk and taking lives. As a top expert in the nation on aging, she has shared her work at the White House, Money Matters, the Doctors, CBS news, and the Dr. Phil Show. Passionate about improving the lives of millions of seniors, Dr. Burnight joined Silicon Valley engineers to create a cutting edge solution to the toughest problems we face as we age. She serves full time as Chief Gerontologist at grandPad.    

"When You Know Your Why, The How Is Easier To Implement" Mindy and Bruce Mylrea Fill the cracks and the gaps. Mindy saw a need in fitness and then created a methodology to fill the need. There is a huge leap of faith that is taken when a person steps into the white powder, the snow or the path that has yet to be traveled. Is there a place where you see a need? Something yet to be created that could make the world a better place, help someone in need or fast track a persons way to success or potential? What would happen if you took your idea out into the world? If not now when? If not you – who? Making your mark and then make your money. Now I know it is not always possible to give up the income to pursue our passion. There are bills to be paid and this thing called life can be expensive – but if there is a passion burning inside of you, something that, while you may not make a living at it, you could make your mark? It is so important for us to be able to leave an impact, and if you are really lucky, maybe that also happens to be in the form of your job. Is there one thing you could do this weekend to leave a mark for good? A random act of kindness, paying your gratitude forward? Following through on volunteering – helping a neighbor in need? All of these leave an impression both in the world and in the hearts of those around you. Can you find the everyday magic? Bruce talked about his cancer diagnosis and how he went from living in a box of I am going to live forever and over into a box of I could die tomorrow. I often talk about the idea of the extra-ordinary in the ordinary, and how many times it can take a life-changing event to wake us up. A powerful tool that we can use to help assess if we are thriving or simply surviving is to ask ourself these questions, If this was my last year on earth a. who would I be with b.what would I be doing c. how would I want to feel? We can then look at that reflection and see how closely it matches up to our daily life. Perhaps this weekend you can make one small shift to move you closer to the life you “want” to be living. What is your why? Bruce and Mindy talk about goal setting and how it is important to know our why behind our goals. They encourage us to target our goals from every angle. Why are your goals important to you? How would your life change once you reach these goals ? And maybe the question, Why are you resistant to these goals? Mindy believes that when it comes to nutrition, which can be very hard to change, that it is important that we not only know our personal why, but also the scientific why? Is there one small nutritional change that you have been wanting to make? How would this change impact your energy? Your mood? Your creativity? What does the science say to support this action? Mindy reminds us that we like good news about our unhealthy habits – what does the news say that will support your decision to give up one small unhealthy habit and replace it with one small positive action step instead? How is your stress level? Bruce and Mindy remind us how important it is to manage our stress. Stress comes from all around us, our family, our job, the news and the social media scrolling. How is your stress level? Are you doing anything to manage and deal with your stress? How well do you feel during the day? How well do you sleep at night? Our breath is a wonderful anchor to check in with how well we are dealing with our stress. Begin by simply by placing one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. Notice which hand is moving more. Can you deepen your breath to allow the air to float more deeply into your belly. Breathe so that your top hand and becomes still and your lower hand begins to move more. One breath at a time, one moment at a time we can help downgrade our anxiety and our stress and upgrade how we show up in our day: present, alert and ready to deal with what is in front of us.

" Don't Wait, Do It Now! None Of Us Know What Tomorrow Holds" Mindy and Bruce Mylrea To say this couple is an inspiration is an understatement. Today I talk with Mindy and Bruce Mylrea about what it takes to be a couple who are living everything they are teaching. There are few I know, who walk their talk as do Mindy and Bruce and this weeks conversation will give you a sneak peak behind the scenes of a day in the life of the Mylrea's. Amongst many other topics we discuss the day that Bruce decided to quit his high paying day job and join Mindy on the road. We talk about the courage it took to make that move, and Bruce shares that is was the combination of wanting to find more meaning in his life and to be surrounded by a more upbeat and positive focused community, that helped him make the leap. Mindy and Bruce go back 35 years and share their story of how they first met. It was not fitness but rather  a bar that was a catalyst for the perfect start to their fitness love story. I ask Mindy about her early beginnings into the world of fitness. While she spent a few months as a singing, chocolate chip cookie to support her acting desires, it was fitness that enabled her to pursue her passion of acting, paying the bills as she paved her way. Eventually Mindy realized that fitness was to be her calling and jumped in full time. As one does, back in the eighties, Mindy began by teaching 4 classes a day at a whopping $5 a class. Her first big break was when she presented a "sport rope" class at World IDEA. When they asked her what else could she teach, Mindy's reply was "What do you need?" Mindy has always been a trend setter and we talk about what it takes to be a leader versus a follower and what it takes to move into the space of the unknown. Many years later and now with Bruce by her side, this dynamic couple are expanding their reach and taking their mission to make wellness available to everyone, on the road. While always passionate about movement, their exploration around nutrition and wellness began in 2010 as Bruce moved to a plant based diet to lower his cholesterol levels. A year later in 2011, Bruce was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the beginning he was broken open and broke down, yet this crisis became his calling. While still living with cancer Bruce is determined to wake up the world. “We have more scientific evidence now, showing us the relationship between cancer and nutrition than we did with cancer and smoking” This year Mindy and Bruce are renting out their house, and getting into an 32 foot RV and taking their One Day To Wellness on the road. You can find where they will be here: Mindy and Bruce invite us all to be present and to stop waiting to do what you want to do. "Do it now – and drink good wine."   More About Mindy And Bruce Bruce Mylrea has a BA in Economics, is ECornell certified in Plant Based Nutrition, and an AFPA certified Holistic Nutritional Councilor. He spends hours each day reviewing the latest in unbiased nutritional research. Bruce is focused and passionate in educating others on the life enhancing and life extending benefits of whole food plant based nutrition. Bruce is the SCW male presenter of the year for 2017 and also the 2017 LifeTime Achievement Award for CanFitPro Mindy Mylrea is also the 2017 LifeTime achievement Award Winner for CanFitPro, 2016 Empower Instructor of the Year, 2015 PFP Trainer of the Year, 2015 International Presenter of the Year, 2013 CanFitPro Specialty Presenter of the Year, 2008 ECA OBOW Fitness Presenter of the Year, the 2004 Can Fit Pro International Presenter of the Year, the 1999 International IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year, a National and World Aerobic Champion, a 361 sponsored athlete, and a five star presenter for IDEA.   Mindy is an advisory board member for Oxygen Magazine, an international presenter, author, motivational speaker, video personality, and CEC provider for both ACE and AFAA. She is the creator and lead talent behind Gliding, the Gliding discs exercise program. She is a master trainer and on the pro development team for Schwinn Cycling, Body Bar, and Bosu. She is the creator of Tabata Bootcamp that earned Most Impactful Program of 2013, and owner of FitFlix Productions DVD production services. She has authored numerous articles and stars in over 400 instructional videos.  Bruce and Mindy have worked together for 15 years in the fitness and wellness industry and present both fitness programming and nutritional education together. They are the proud parents of three boys and have been married for 35 years. When not in the RV they live in Santa Cruz, California.