Podcast appearances and mentions of maya angelo

Joy Kong, M.D. is a UCLA-trained, triple board-certified physician (American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, American Board of Addiction Medicine, American Board of AntiAging & Regenerative Medicine). She specializes in stem cell therapy, and is widely known and respected in the regenerative medicine field as a leader, innovator, and educator. Dr. Kong founded American Academy of Integrative Cell Therapy, where she provides training to physicians throughout the U.S. and globally on stem cell therapy. Dr. Kong also conducts clinical research on stem cell therapy, and is a published author in scientific journals. In an effort to provide her patients with the best regenerative medicine products, Dr. Kong founded Chara Biologics, and developed the most potent and comprehensive stem cell product in the country with a patent-pending formula, as well as a 100% natural stem cell skin cream CharaOmni. Dr. Kong was recognized for her contribution to the field of regenerative medicine and awarded the “Top Doctor of the Year in Stem Cell Therapy” in 2019 as well as “Stem Cell Doctor of the Decade” in 2021 by the prestigious IAOTP (International Association of Top Professionals). Dr. Kong is also passionate about mental health, and provide ketamine therapy and other innovative therapeutic modalities to address depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), addiction, as well as other brain conditions such as ADHD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), cognitive decline and dementia, etc. Dr. Kong's memoir Tiger of Beijing has garnered tremendous interest, and was named “2020 Book of the Year” and showcased at Times Square. Dr. Kong was also featured in the 2021 book HEROES, LEADERS, LEGENDS: the Power of the Human Spirit, along with movers and shakers such as Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra and Maya Angelo.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, MEd, FAOTA - In this episode, Michelle is joined by Marsha, founder of the “Get Permission Institute,” for part one of a four-part miniseries on Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD)! To kick off the miniseries, Marsha discusses the evidence-based PFD shifts that have occurred over the last few years… shifts that come from listening to and elevating neurodivergent voices. Gone are the days of forcing a child to eat during therapy or relying upon external reinforcement to “take a bite.” The shift is towards respecting individual autonomy, encouraging diversity in thought about what constitutes a safe and healthy mealtime routine and a well-balanced meal...and the list goes on! Marsha quoted Maya Angelo, “Once you know better, you do better,” she hopes this episode will inspire today's treating PFD clinicians to embrace the shift.

“There's something we've always told people we aspire to, which was we wanted it to be a microcosm of the best of this region, right? So we travel a ton to this day and the food in the Pacific Northwest is unmatched. The coffee is unmatched. And we did the design ourselves, the architecture was there, the energy efficiency is unmatched. And so I do think that the things that our region is known for, which is mainly food and craft, it's a little bit of a microcosm of those values in the building.” We're in great company with Jonathan Cohen & Jessie Burke, the husband and wife duo behind The Society Hotel, a collection of experience-focused boutique hotels built with unique reclaimed buildings in Portland, Oregon and Bingen, Washington, calling all travelers, wild spirits and creative minds to encounter a stay unlike any other.  For world travelers looking to experience the intersection of the past, present and future Portland, The Society Hotel is tucked away in the historic neighborhood of Old Town Chinatown. For locals looking for a city escape, The Society Hotel Bingen, with surprises around every corner in its converted schoolhouse, is nestled within the Columbia River Gorge.  In this episode, Jonathan and Jessie share how their career paths and personal travels took many twists and turns to bring them to where they are today - creating social spaces that encourage people from all walks of life to convene and connect.  Top Takeaways [1:50] Jonathan & Jessie pursued many careers before finding their calling in creating The Society Hotel - from aerospace engineering to environmental education, from Olympic fencing to investment banking, from owning a solar energy business and a family-friendly coffee shop to finally building a business case for a hotel concept.   [8:30] A real life “fake it till you make it” story is behind the beginnings of The Society Hotel and Jonathan & Jessie to this day are proud of the community they wrangled together behind their cause.  [17:25] Jonathan saw Portland, Oregon as an up-and-coming place for young people to have a voice. Jessie saw Portland as too small a town…until she realized that it left open space for her to make an impact here.  [21:50] How one of the first buildings in Portland's historic port town built in 1881, was a safe haven for sailors, a time capsule of old newspapers, and in serious need of some TLC when Jessie discovered it.  [38:00] Maya Angelo said it best, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” [40:25] The Society Hotel in Portland is often in transition, evolving with the same energy as the historic Chinatown and Japantown it is nestled in. It is also home to the best cup of coffee in America, according to Jonathan that is… [45:55] The Society Hotel in Bingen is unlike any other nature escape, picture a schoolhouse setting meets summer camp sleepover, with original chalkboards intact and s'mores over campfire included.  Notable Mentions Prosper Portland   Posies Café L'Angolo Estate Wine Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail Visit For Yourself The Society Hotel Website @thesocietyhotel Stay In Good Company Website

What's on my mind:  The futility of racism:https://aninjusticemag.com/how-does-racism-hurt-white-people-8ffe67843458News:Felonious Record:https://www.justice.gov/storage/US_v_Trump_23_cr_257.pdfhttps://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdcMemphis is not unique: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/us/memphis-police-civil-rights-investigation.htmlIbid:https://apnews.com/article/jail-death-atlanta-fulton-county-3bb5ceec625e5b69488d2d51cb076603Your god is not real:https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/god-will-not-be-mocked-abby-johnson-warns-christians-not-to-support-vivek-ramaswamy/Ibid, again:https://newsone.com/4660409/onyx-black-girl-shot-louisville/This shit is for us:  Who are we fighting:https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/root-causes-of-racism/Bible Study with Atheist Mike: False equivalency:Closing: Finally, something other than churches and liquor stores:https://thegrio.com/2023/08/02/black-woman-creates-vegan-food-bank/

 Well once again the news here in the USA is about former President Donald Trump and that he has now been indicted the third time, with a possible fourth on the line.  Obviously the nation is divided over that with some people calling it a political hit job and a fraud, and of course there are others who believe that it's finally some accountability and the Donald Trump is getting what he deserves. Well it will be an interesting drama ... But I'm going to be so bold to suggest something that I think is quite obvious, Donald Trump will be OK.  He may not win the presidency but he will have a following and a loyal audience of millions no matter what, and no he will not land up in jail.  That won't happen. So let me make my point but then on a related and Segue point may I quote Maya Angelou who in many ways knows part of the secret to Donald Trump's continuing success, and she also knows something that you can learn if you're trying to build a life and a business that makes a difference. Yes today some lessons from Donald Trump and Maya Angelo and me! Thanks Stan  

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel - Maya Angelou A key ingredient to creating an everlasting brand experience is how you make people feel. With Katie Seitzer, I feel calm. She is the owner of Katie Seitzer Design, a creative studio that specializes in brand and marketing design. She is a designer for health and wellness leaders and national brands such as Women's Health and Organic Gardening. As a marketing consultant for women-led businesses, Katie helps these businesses create and build their brands, ensuring they use their brand assets throughout their marketing to gain the most traction. In her words, “People don't know what they don't know”. Her superpower is helping you with really figuring out how to dial in your visual language, making sure that it reflects who you are, what you're putting out there, and then pulling that through all of your marketing so that everybody knows that it's you. Katie also discusses the importance of planning ahead in marketing, using a marketing blueprint to show up in the world the way you want to. A former figure skater, Katie has reinvented herself over the years to be who she is today. She believes that women are finding their stride and understanding that they can create their own economic worth. Listen in to feel empowered! Highlights of this episode: Katie shares her experience as a former amateur and professional figure skater and discusses the pressure for perfection and body issues in sports. We play a rapid-fire question game with Katie, who reveals her love for savory dishes and cooking with anchovies. From figure skating to branding expert, Katie shares her transition through careers and the importance of finding your calling We discuss the importance of women having a seat at the table and how women are finding their stride and defining what they want to do with their lives. ✨Go to michellefox.com/podcast for SHOW NOTES, TRANSCRIPT, and a link to this YOUTUBE episode.✨ Links mentioned in this episode: Katie Seitzer website Katie Seitzer Instagram Masterclass: How to Create and Execute Your Weekly Meal Plan in Under 30 Minutes! An organization method that can make (or break) your nutrition goals. Join us for Healthy Sexy May! Sign up for Katie's Newsletter: Remember the most important part of your Brand with one of these posters with Maya Angelo's beautiful quote to hang in your office. Get on the waitlist for the Katie Seitzer Design Signature Branding Workshop! Connect with Michelle: Free meal planner: michellefox.com/planner Instagram: @michellefoxlove Facebook: @michellefoxlove Website: michellefox.com

Self-care isn't just about bubble baths and face masks. It's about building resilience, investing in your mental and physical health, planning for your financial future, and fostering personal growth through a growth mindset. It's about overcoming challenges with perseverance and preparation. #selfcare #resilience --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/joshuamoroles/support

On today's episode, I'll be sharing 5 parenting mistakes you may be making. I recommend listening with curiosity, and reflection, rather than self-judgment. We're all doing our best. No parent is perfect. But, like Maya Angelo says, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." And that's what this podcast is all about. Knowing better, so you can do better. If you'd like more insight into your teen's world, download my free guide: What Your Teenager Wants You to Know.

Do you communicate well with others? How do you know? Have you ever talked with someone and you know they're not being genuine or using terminology that you don't understand? That certainly has happened to me. Communication is key to building positive, productive, and meaningful relationships. And, it's on you to strengthen you skills as a communicator. No one else will do it for you. In this episode I talk about the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication. Words don't mean much on their own. The nonverbal is pretty important. Some might say that the nonverbal is everything compared to your words. I also provide 5 tips on building a connection. When you connect, your communication is stronger and more meaningful. It is through connection that we can truly add value to someone else or to a situation.Maya Angelo said it best, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”Do you have any game changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter this name at a chance to be on the podcast.Sponsored by:UndersummerOutstanding DNA Learn more about Jeff Newkirk. Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast

Licensed mental health counselor and author Jill Sylvester discusses strategies and tips, along with trusting your own inner voice, to live your very best life.   Today's discussion: More Listener Questions

 How age is not an impediment to changeWhy as we mature we gain more knowledge to make changesSelf-discovery: You're more than you believe you areTransformational steps to do in your life RESOURCEPodmatch ABOUT SUSIE HAYESWith two Master's Degrees in education and counseling, and over 40 years of experience as a psychotherapist, life and business coach, hypnotist, teacher, speaker and author, Susie Hayes helps people become and stay FREEDfrom Stuck! She is the author of the award-winning book, "FREED from Stuck! Dare to Cross the Bridge Beyond Grief, trauma, and Self-Sabotage to Discover Lasting Change Now." FREEDfromStuck  CONNECT WITH SUSIE HAYESWebsite:  www.FREEDfromStuck.comInstagram: @susiehayesFacebook Page: @susie Hayes FREEDfrom StuckLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susiehayescounseling/Youtube: SusieHayesCounseling CONNECT WITH USWebsite:  www.fireflybyirisjanet.comInstagram - @firefly_ijFacebook - @Iris Janet CoachingPodcast - Firefly by Iris Janet Clubhouse @fireflyirisAudible - www.audibletrial.com/firefly “Emit your light and attract your desire” 

A podcast where we share sixty seconds of inspiration to help you create a kinder, gentler world faster than the speed of heartbreak. We believe that kindness needs to be the number one cherished idea in the world today. So, we created a show that adds one sweet droplet of goodness into the ocean of your life - every day.    Yesterday by John Hobart - Music Design by Jason Inc. https://brucewaynemclellan.com/  

A podcast where we share sixty seconds of inspiration to help you create a kinder, gentler world faster than the speed of heartbreak. We believe that kindness needs to be the number one cherished idea in the world today. So, we created a show that adds one sweet droplet of goodness into the ocean of your life - every day.    Yesterday by John Hobart - Music Design by Jason Inc. https://brucewaynemclellan.com/  

There are times when words pale to the task of encapsulating such an enigmatic tycoon of industriousness, self directed morals, cerebral brilliance, as well as the wonders of an exquisitely learned person having retained the genius quality of a childlike approach to science. Dr. Joy Kong checks all those boxes and more, from being a pioneer in the stem cell space (something quite deeply lacking in American sciences) to a bold innovator in the newly blossoming field of psychedelic therapeutic modalities. She is clearly not one to stray behind the lines of the well worn path of everyday medicine. It is only thanks to such vanguard charging personalities that humanity has any progress in the form of applicable knowledge at all. These are no overstatements nor hyperbolic gesture of words, Dr. Kong is a dyed in the wool modern day masterclass in the life of a scientist-groundbreaker. Someone for who the hippocratic oath is not merely a numb cluster of words, but an identifier of class of soul who would do no less than uphold its creed. Plainly put, she is super awesome. Listen close and take a look at what a brilliant and curious mind can accomplish. Joy Kong, M.D. is a UCLA-trained, triple board-certified physician (American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, American Board of Addiction Medicine, American Board of Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine). She is the president of Uplyft Longevity Center in Los Angeles, California, where she specializes in stem cell therapy, ketamine therapy, as well as a wide range of therapeutic modalities to enhance overall health and combat diseases in a holistic approach, esp. by enhancing the body's innate regenerative potentials. Dr. Kong believes in advancing the field of stem cell therapy through education of both physicians and the public in general. She founded American Academy of Integrative Cell Therapy, where she provides training to physicians on the science, clinical evidence and safe protocols in Stem Cell Therapy. She serves as a board member of American Association of Stem Cell Physicians, and a faculty member of Medical Wellness Association (a leading global organization on health and wellness). As a proponent for high quality clinical research, Dr. Kong is committed to originating and conducting such research studies, and is a published author in scientific journals.In addition, Dr. Kong is the founder and CEO of Chara Biologics, a company dedicated to providing cutting-edge regenerative medicine products in the US and to the global market. She developed the most potent and comprehensive stem cell product in the country with a patent-pending formulation. Dr. Kong was recognized for her contribution to the field of regenerative medicine and awarded the "Top Doctor of the Year in Stem Cell Therapy” and "Empowered Woman of the Year” in 2019, as well as “Stem Cell Doctor of the Decade” in 2021 by the prestigious IAOTP (International Association of Top Professionals). Dr. Kong's memoir Tiger of Beijing has garnered tremendous interest, and was named “2020 Book of the Year” from IAOTP and showcased at Time Square. Dr. Kong was also featured in the 2021 book HEROES, LEADERS, LEGENDS: the Power of the Human Spirit, along with movers and shakers such as Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra and Maya Angelo.

Hello and welcome to “Inviting Calm” with Anita. Lately, I have been thinking a great deal about transformation and change. Perhaps, because it's the time of year where butterflies are around. I love watching butterflies and their beauty and grace. Maya Angelo says, “ We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” The journey of change and transformation is deeply personal.

What do the first African American Student Body President elected at Harvard, an MSMS alum, Albert Einstein, Maya Angelo, and (most likely) you have in common? All of them have suffered from intrusive feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt while struggling through a phenomenon known as Imposter Syndrome. In a podcast produced by Ty Elam, Madison Echols takes us through the ins and outs of a mental health issues that plagues the minds of 70% of people from all walks of life, giving insight into its causes, victims, and the ways that minority statuses intersect in those who suffer from it.

Today we are celebrating International women's Day. I am paying homage to my deceased grandmother. Whom have thought me to be a strong black woman . Our women ancestors who have paved the way. Also to Rosa Parks, Maya Angelo and Michelle Obama. We want to pay homage to all the Queens before us who have stood their grounds and exercised Faith. All educated black women, all mothers, all survivors, business woman, entrepreneurs, the list goes on and on . We respect and acknowledge you. Blessings to all. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kis4knowledge/support

Share your thoughts with us (click here)I talk a lot about success because it is important! It's important to define what success really means to us, to see other people succeed, and to see how many different ways we can thrive, by celebrating and focusing on our successes, especially us HSP's. (highly Sensitive Persons)"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it" - Maya Angelo***

Welcome to 2022 season Two of the podcast Man2Man 360.Most Dangerous Endangered Species on the Planet…Black MenIt looks like everyone LOVES DEAD Black Men but hate living Black Men.BLM loves DEAD Black MenPoliticians campaign for DEAD Black MenSociety create murals for DEAD Black menCorporations LOVE promoting Black womenMedia LOVES creating shows about the wonderful achievements of Black WomenWhile Black men are shown as an obstacle to black women.So what can be more disrespectful than to print dollars with Harriet Tubman or Quarters with Maya Angelo, a poet before you display Black men!So let's jump right in and hear what the All Stars have to say about this.  Today we have Warren Meeks Jr and Brian White and of course I'm your host Darryl D Anderson.Show is Recorded, Edited and Produced by Darryl D Anderson of Ambassador Media GroupLive Airing of the show is on http://rSpirit.OnlinePlease visit, LIKE and Comment about the show at Facebook.com/Man2Man360Theme Song Edited and Mixed my Damion Hill of https://e-mixonline.comVoiceOvers by Christopher BellMerry Bay by Ghostrifter Official | https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-officialMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 UnportedAuthor / Artist:  Ghostrifter OfficialWebsite: https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-officialDuration:  02:14BPM:  100WAV quality:  44.1 kHz 16 bit (stereo)Nintendo 64 by yoitrax | https://soundcloud.com/yoitraxMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US   Track description:  Superb hip-hop track by yoitrax.

NEWS. City of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has COVID. Unvax'd Folks Paying COVID Positive Folks to Help Them Catch It. Italy Extends Vaccine Mandate to Everyone Over 50. Oregon Becomes the First State to Decriminalize Hard Drugs. ENTERTAINMENT. Lisa Raye goes in on Ari for Insensitive Comments About Abused Women. Mary J Blige Turns 51. Da Baby Pours Water Down a Fan's Throat at Boston Concert. Trey Songs Accused of Being Rapist by Dylan Gonzalez. Ye Documentary is Coming Out as is Donda 2. Maya Angelo to Join George Washington on the Quarter. New Series Bel-Air Streaming on PeacockTV Feb 13th. Lamar Odom Calls Tristan Thompson a Goofy. RIH to Bob Saget from Full House. RELATIONSHIPS. How Much Honesty is too Much…when Dating? Does Agreeing to Netflix & Chill Automatically Mean DTF? A show concept that is rooted in providing its listeners with everything they want their news programming to be and nothing it currently is, This. That. & The III not only raises the bar for lifestyle shows, it redefines it. Tune in every Thursday as we go Live at Noon and hear what all the buzz is about by experiencing This. That. & The III. w/ Calvin L. King & the Lovely Ms. Rici Pieci, The Undisputed King & Queen of Chicago Podcast. #CheckUsOut.

Danette and Mina are happy to be back recording after a full few months of "life" getting in the way.  This topic of Grace stemmed from being grateful to our listeners for having grace and patience with us through the challenges of finding the life space to record together. And the conversation goes deeper as we share stories about the importance of having grace with ourselves as well as others.  "The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination." - Maya Angelo

Demi visits Elmina Castle; Maya Angelo is good money; the untelivised Golden Globes; the new (Kan)Ye + jeen-yuhs; the Insecure finale; Jill Scott's sex tape.Check out my website: http://www.demetrialucas.com/about/.Follow me: IG:  demetriallucas.Twitter: demetriallucas.FB: demetriallucas.YouTube: demetriallucas.More about the Show: Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or using this link: http://bit.ly/RatchetRespectablePodcast.Thanks to our sponsors: With Acorn TV, I always get my British fix – and you can too! Try Acorn TV free for 30 days by going to acorn.tv and using my promo code ratchet. Right now, Thesis is offering our listeners 10% off your first starter kit when you visit takethesis.com/RATCHET. Make your first good decision of the new year, and join over 10 million people using Chime. Sign up takes only two minutes and doesn't affect your credit score. Get started at chime.com/ratchet.I love how my smile feels and looks and I know you'll love Lumineux as much as I do, too! Get fifteen percent off your order today by going lumineuxhealth.com/ratchet. Download June's Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google Play!Ship more in less time with ShipStation. Just go to ShipStation.com, click on the microphone at the top of the page, and type in RESPECT to get a 60-day free trial.Find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today when you go to upstart.com/RATCHET.Get 30% off your Betabrand order when you go to Betabrand.com/RATCHET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Demi visits Elmina Castle; Maya Angelo is good money; the untelivised Golden Globes; the new (Kan)Ye + jeen-yuhs; the Insecure finale; Jill Scott's sex tape. Check out my website: http://www.demetrialucas.com/about/. Follow me:  IG:  demetriallucas. Twitter: demetriallucas. FB: demetriallucas. YouTube: demetriallucas. More about the Show:  Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or using this link: http://bit.ly/RatchetRespectablePodcast. Thanks to our sponsors: With Acorn TV, I always get my British fix – and you can too! Try Acorn TV free for 30 days by going to acorn.tv and using my promo code ratchet.  Right now, Thesis is offering our listeners 10% off your first starter kit when you visit takethesis.com/RATCHET.  Make your first good decision of the new year, and join over 10 million people using Chime. Sign up takes only two minutes and doesn't affect your credit score. Get started at chime.com/ratchet. I love how my smile feels and looks and I know you'll love Lumineux as much as I do, too! Get fifteen percent off your order today by going lumineuxhealth.com/ratchet.  Download June's Journey free today on the Apple App Store or Google Play! Ship more in less time with ShipStation. Just go to ShipStation.com, click on the microphone at the top of the page, and type in RESPECT to get a 60-day free trial. Find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today when you go to upstart.com/RATCHET. Get 30% off your Betabrand order when you go to Betabrand.com/RATCHET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode the crew talks about their view on mental health. We cover topics that range from our belief system, perspective, environment, our mindsets and much more. We wrap the episode up with quotes from Maya Angelo & Norman Dale Carnegie. Big thanks to the Producer: Gabe Rivera, beat by TeiMoney & Executive Producer Jimmylee Velez.

Revd Canon Eve Pitts is a Church of England vicar who, for the past six years, has been holding an “Ancestors Arise” ceremony in honour of those killed through the slavery and imperialism known as the African holocaust, or the Maafa. In this episode, she talks about honouring, remembering and celebrating her ancestors. She says that is takes courage to have a revolution. She has a husband, three children and two grandchildren. She loves music and poetry, and grew up in Nottingham.She mentions a poem by Maya Angelo, ‘Still I Rise', which we have mentioned before on the podcast. If you want to see the power of this poem, there is a video of Maya Angelou delivering it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qviM_GnJbOMShe is planning a conference about black women's health and also another Ancestors' service early next year.Follow the Recovering God Podcast:·      Twitter: @RecoveringGod ·      Instagram: Recovering_God If you have any comments, please let us know at: RecoveringGodPodcast@gmail.comPlease remember to rate, subscribe and tell others who you think will be interested. RGP HistoryAlison & Grace were having a conversation in the summer of 2019 about podcasts and they weren't aware of any at the time that spoke to their context, so they decided to set one up. You can hear more about their thinking about the podcast on the Introductions episode. Grace & Alison worked on the podcast together for the first year but Grace had other commitments that meant she had to give the podcast up, so from February  - August 2021 Alison carried on without her. In August 2021, Alex & Amy joined Alison and they became the three AAAs.

In this episode, James and Geoff will have an in-depth conversation about; his childhood, school experience, leadership philosophy, and the 2022 Commonwealth games. Also, Geoff will share his daily routines and habits and have a moment to look back and send a message to his younger self. Throughout the show, you'll probably note Geoff's passion for making the world a better place for the youth. Looking back, Geoff confesses that he went through so much trauma after the death of his father. He believes that children should go to funerals. Listen in to this episode as Geoff shares his story and how he developed peerless leadership skills from his experience and the people he looked up to, like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Maya Angelo, etc. Key Talking Points of the Episode: Geoff's background: His earliest memory of sports as a child Geoff's experience in school Geoff's leadership philosophies that he has developed over time What's unique about number seven to Geoff's leadership? Understanding the inner and the outer circle according to Geoff 2022 Commonwealth games London games 2012 Routines and habits that keep Geoff performing at his best Geoff's advice to his younger self Connect with Geoff Thompson: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/geoff-thompson-mbe-frsa-dl-494a762a Facebook: facebook.com/geoff.thompson.9250 Website: youthcharter.co.uk  Connect with James:  Instagram: @james_ventures Facebook: Coordinate Sport FB Page LinkedIn: James Moore Coordinate Cloud: The Drive Phase Podcast

In this episode the crew talks about their view on having the best perspective on life. We cover topics that range from optimism, positive self-talk, our mindsets and much more. We wrap the episode up with quotes from Maya Angelo & Dale Carnegie. Big thanks to the Producer: Gabe Rivera, beat by TeiMoney & Executive Producer Jimmylee Velez.

Maya Angelo, US Representative John Lewis, Medgar Evers, Langston Hughes, Gordon Parks, John Hope Franklin, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Marian Anderson. Acclaimed poets and writers, civil rights and political leaders, award winning historians and photographers, a world-famous opera star. What do they have in common? Each was touched by Julius Rosenwald, the least known but most profoundly effective educational philanthropist of the 20th Century. For nearly 30 years, Rosenwald partnered with Booker T. Washington to build some 5000 schools in 15 states across the South, collaborating with Black communities to create an education for the students that Jim Crow purposefully left behind. Rosenwald also funded grants, enabling Black Americans to pursue further study and in the process, helped them advance to enrich us all. So why don't we know more about what he—and they—accomplished? And why is telling the Rosenwald story so important today? To find out more, Kent Harrington talks with Bob and Jean Rosenwald who have worked to shed light on this extraordinary man and his contribution, the Rosenwald schools, and the importance of his example in 2021.

Even Soul Sisters don't always don't always see things exactly the same way. In this episode, Mina and Danette share their personal views and stories on manifesting (or not manifesting) the life you desire.  "Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it." - Maya Angelo

In this week's Meditation Circle the focus is the power of your words and how to use them wisely. You are always creating with your words; in your own life, and in the lives of those with you influence, especially what ever you put after the present tense form of the verb to be. Rasta's say it best “when ever we say I, me, or mine we are referring to “God in me, the oneness of God in man.” So when ever we refer to anyone, we are communicating to God or I in them. Due to quantum entanglement there is no separation between us.  “God eternal in the body.” Our spiritual inspiration comes from Rev. Ike's Secrets For Health, Joy and Prosperity, For YOU: A Science Of Living Study Guide: Chap 10 The Thrill of It All with words of wisdom from Daniel Choudhury, Maya Angelo and Iyanla Vanzant "If you speak your word, and it is definite and positive, what you want will come to you" ~ Rev. Ike   Peace & Blessings, Tamara beyondhypnosis.org

Ever want to talk to a female CEO and learn about her journey to the top, her leadership style and obstacles she's overcome? Us too! Chris Perich is one of the most dynamic, intelligent and wonderfully authentic humans around. We can't wait for you to meet her as she discusses her biggest key to success and how to reach your goals.  Even though we still need more women in leadership, Chris is the embodiment of how far we've come.  "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelo

Dr. Tererai Trent, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Maya Angelo and burying your dreams. My dad was in love with a woman in a movie and when he was on his way out of this world I watched it with him every day. He told me I reminded him of the star - what an honor. Sometimes we get derailed from life and what it throws at us but our dreams never die. what's your dream?

As a key player in Nashville's real estate and development community for over 30 years, she decided to reevaluate and be intentional about the next chapter of her career. In this episode we talk with Janet about her views on leadership grounded in “Radical Candor” and the challenges of “Ruinous Empathy.” She talks about the impact of her high school boyfriend and the lessons she has learned sitting in some of the most visible leadership roles in Nashville. Goats to include Fred Harris, Maslow, Maya Angelo, and so many more. We serve it up in a way you can get it.

As a key player in Nashville's real estate and development community for over 30 years, she decided to reevaluate and be intentional about the next chapter of her career. In this episode we talk with Janet about her views on leadership grounded in “Radical Candor” and the challenges of “Ruinous Empathy.” She talks about the impact of her high school boyfriend and the lessons she has learned sitting in some of the most visible leadership roles in Nashville. Goats to include Fred Harris, Maslow, Maya Angelo, and so many more. We serve it up in a way you can get it.

In this podcast episode, I have the pleasure of reading phenomenal woman by Maya Angelo. I was first introduced to this poem whilst watching a show starring Tia Mowry, called Family Reunion. I loved the integration of history and felt so empowered by this poem. I hope you enjoy, as much as I did. Much Love x

Before he left his St. Louis neighborhood, twelve friends lost their lives to violence. He knew he needed to go. His father did, too. Hear how Danny Young found his way to the Marines, to California and into a two decades long career in law enforcement. And he found his way to Christ, too. He's also an ordained minister. Favorite movies: A Few Good Men; Crimson Tide and Glory. Favorite words: Maya Angelo's "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." Follow us on Instagram @365brothers and Facebook at 365BrothersThePodcast.  Interested in being a guest? Visit 365brothers.com. Check out Alitu for more ease editing, polishing and publishing your podcast. About this podcast: In each episode, a Brother reflects on his life; explores the experience of being a Black man in America; shares his interactions with law enforcement; and answers the signature question "If America was a woman, what would you say to her? You won't find a collection of conversations with Black men like this anywhere else. Hear their wisdom. Be inspired. Host, Rahbin Shyne, is an author, educator, creative and avid half-marathon walker. Special thanks to Sonji Walker, Shedrick Sanders, Abigail Gonzalez, Don Davis and William Hamilton for their generous support.

In this episode I am celebrating women's history month. I am paying homage to my deceased grandmother. Whom have thought me to be a strong black woman . Our women ancestors who have paved the way. Also to Rosa Parks, Maya Angelo and Michelle Obama. We want to pay homage to all the Queens before us who have stood their grounds and exercised Faith. All educated black women, all mothers, all survivors, business woman, entrepreneurs, the list goes on and on . We respect and acknowledge you. Blessings to all. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kis4knowledge/support

The sixth and final step to successfully resign from PPO plans is to add high-value services to your dental practice. People tend to pay for what they want before they pay for what they need, and this is an opportunity for your practice because you can attract patients who have an interest in high-value services that are not covered by insurance. In this episode, Gary will explain the best ways you can use high-value services to increase fee-for-service patients in your practice. 00:01:08 - Intro to today’s topic  00:01:28 - Second Thriving Dentist masterclass!  00:07:52 - Step number six 00:08:13 - What people want  00:14:24 - Run your own race 00:16:14 - Treatment areas to consider  00:19:08 - Your team’s interest Resources REGISTER FOR THE MASTERCLASS! SCHEDULE YOUR FREE MARKETING STRATEGY MEETING LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING LEARN STEP #1 LEARN STEP #2 LEARN STEP #3 LEARN STEP #4 LEARN STEP #5 Transcript N: Hello everyone welcome, to another episode of the less insurance dependence show, my name is Naren and I am your cohost. We have an exciting topic for you may of you know that Garry decided to do a series where every episode is one of the 6 steps to reducing insurance depended, today is step number 6 and we will include in the show notes all the other episodes links if anybody wants to kind of binge to listen to all episodes together you can, but before we jump in and talk about the 6th step to reducing insurance depended, I want to make an announcement. We just finished our first master class and it was totally sold out – we have a new master class coming out on a new topic, and this master class is going to be coming out on the 31st of March 2021, again 20 seats 3 hours of CE it is a Wednesday night, let Garry tell you a little bit more about what the topic is and what you can expect to learn G: Hey Naren you know this next one we just finished one, we just finished our very first master class the idea was to provide a comprehensive course in a short timeline, in 3 hours. So the cool thing about the master class is that you get three hours of continuing education credits and allows us to take a deep dive into a particular topic. We just finished one, it is sold out – we do limit attendance because we do run it like a workshop not like a lecture so we do strictly limit attendance. This next one on March 31st is titled – a specific plan to reduce your overhead to 60 percent or less, so that will be our next master class - a specific plan to reduce your overhead to 60 percent or less and as my friends in England like to say, we are going to do exactly what it says on the tin – we are going to help your overhead to 60 percent or less, you are going to depart that master class with a very specific plan on what you can do to reduce your overhead to 60 percent or less. Now Naren we might have some listeners and say, Gary, is that even possible today in 2021? And my answer to that is going to be absolute. Why can I say that? You have heard me say this saying before but it supplies here – if it has been done before it must be possible. So not only have we done that in my own practice, but we have done it in hundreds of practices around the country, if it has been done before it must be possible – so come join us for that master class- Wednesday evening, March 31st – 3 hours of concentrated CE that you would depart with all the information you need to reduce your overhead to 60 percent or less. Anticipating that that master class will sell out, go to the less insurance dependence dot com or it is thriving dentist.com/master class so thriving dentist.com/master class there is a counter on that page that will indicate if there are seats left, If there are seat let I would encourage you to sign up because they will likely disappear N: The last one sold out a month before the master class – a month ahead G: Yeah and get excited about that, and also excited about our episode topic today – step number 6 to successfully resign from PPO plans. N: let’s jump in Garry I really enjoyed the first 5 steps and many people wrote to us and talked about various challenges they had with some of those steps so this one I think is going to create the whole flurry of activity because I see many practices today have made a commitment especially post Covid to go out of you know reduce their dependence on insurance so thank you for doing this Garry G: So let’s start by recapping where you know each one of these steps – step 6. Step one know your data – that means we need to know specific data about the plans that you are on so that we can come up with a resignation strategy that makes sense for your practice, number 2 you want to master digital marketing so step 2 is that you master digital marketing, and we need to do that for 2 reasons we need to replace any patients or people we might lose when we go out of network and perhaps, more importantly, you have to replace the flow of patients, that have historically come to you, from the PPO plans, because as soon as you resign that flow is cut puff. It is like applying a tunic kit to your arm, the blood flow stops with a tunic kit, well same thing here, that as soon as you resign you will get no more new patients, from inserting PPO name here haha delta, travelers, blue cross blue shield, you now met life, whatever it is so you have to replace those ahead of time, very important to be proactive with that – a mistake you could make is that you do not do it proactively you do it reactively – you want to replace it ahead of time, absolutely ahead of time – step number 3 strategies to get your entire team on board – your entire team on board – because this is a team sport and we want your entire team thinks of it like a theatric performance, if we go watch something in live theatre there might be featured actress and actresses, but the supporting cast has a very important role and that is why we have to get the entire team on board. Step number 4 we want to install an in-office membership plan – that is a very tactical step, but to want to install an in-office membership plan so that we can roll out the red carpet to attract people in your community who do not have insurance and step number 5 we want to elevate the relationship aspect of your practice – you know that is your secret sauce if we elevate the relationship – what we want it is the famous quote from the poet Maya Angelo and that quote this is what guides us into that step – Maya Angelo said I have learned that people will forget what you said people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel –and if you master that, they will not want to go anywhere else. And if you are thinking yeah Garry we do that I want to introduce a thought and that is that regardless of how well you are doing – we all my practice included can get better – haha can get biter – so it is about elevating the relationship-driven aspect of your practice, which now leads up to step number 6 which is all about adding high-value services to your practice – so step number 6 is to add high valued services to the practice, let’s talk about some of the details around this – and one of the things I want you to think about doctors say you are thinking about those high-value services is that people will pay for what they want before they will apply for what they need – think about that for a minute, it is an absolute human nature truth. people will pay for what they want before they will pay for what they and these high-value services are things that people want and when we are a dental office providing what people want it is a recipe for success, now they will still ask you is covered by my insurance, but it is a pretty easy response, to say well iwis h it did Linda, but your insurance was only designed to cover the most basic things, and this is more advance so your insurance plan ignored it. There is something on a very simple level that people want that many dental offices are just not tuned in to this – last year – excuse me it was 2019 because it was 2 years ago, a survey company was hired to stand on the street corner in downtown Chicago and they asked passer-by people who are just walking by – hey may I ask you a quick question, if there was something you could change about your smile hat would you change? Innocent question N: Mhmm G: Kind of a fun question, and they got over 6000 responses – 85 percent of the people that responded said they want whiter teeth, N: Right G: That they want whiter teeth – 85 percent, now I knew it would be a high number but I did not for a minute think it would be that high, and think abbot it, to every practice offers whitening it should I don’t know why they don’t, even ones that do sort of treat it as just another thing in their wagon and the average number of whitening procedures for offices that proved whitening is 1.2 whitening procedures a month N: Ha ha G: Naren may I be sarcastic for just a minute N: Yes, please G: Wohoo N: Ha ha G: Way to go – you gave it to the one person that begged you for it – now let’s put this in context for a minute and I am going to just make up a number that will allow us to run some math. Let’s say that you have 20 patients in your practice today, say for hygiene or restorative services whatever I am just using a number – 17 of them want whiter teeth N: Right G: Just today – that’s 85 percent of 25 now run that over a 16 day month, N: 16 times around close to 300 – G: So let’s get It exactly – 272 so 2 out of – 272 people want lighter teeth and you did one? Knock yourself out N: Ha-ha just one out of 272 G: That is – what is that? One-third of one percent? N: Yes G: I mean that is pretty bad and you know I have heard it asked – does my insurance cover teeth whitening, and it is a very easy response – no, unfortunately, it doesn’t they call it cosmetic and because this I called cosmetic they don’t cover it – okay can I still do it? Yeah, they still want to have it done – N: Give the pole what they want before you give them what they need – G: And I am not suggesting that whitening is a highly valued service in terms of – when I am thinking of high value I am thinking of something that requires more investment but that is an example of the fact that people pay for what they want – by the way your goal in whitening, I would love you to develop a system in your practice where you’re doing 15 whitening procedures a month, I still think statistically that is not all that remarkable but if you go from one to 15 that is pretty good wouldn’t you say? N: Great great G: And by the way to those 15 are going to lead you it is a gateway service people whiten their teeth and they are going to be interested in lots of other things, so you know just to kind of amplify the concept that people e pay for what they want before they pay for what the need – now let me go to the second point ere, unfortunately, there is no blueprint to follow when it comes to what high valued services you should have N: So let me ask you a question Gary the reason this is so critical is that it is a key step in reducing insurance dependence high-value services because you are going from practice that does to dentistry that is just doing the things that they need to a practice that is catering to what they want, more focused on you know listening to the relationship factor that comes in – G: It is a conditioning exercise Naren because N: Mhmm G: Because most PPo practices, most dentists tell me that there so frustrated when the patient says I am only going to have it done if insurance covers it and as soon as we start to move the needle and get people conditioned to paying for things covered by insurance they are more open and it opens the world of perspective for them even if it is something as simple as whitening, because now all of a sudden they show with their – voted with their feet or their teeth, guess they voted with their teeth to say I am willing to do something nice for myself, that is not covered by insurance, so now it is a condition exercise in a positive way, that they get conditioned to be open to doing things that are not covered by insurance – but there is no blue print to follow – what I mean bit hat there is no generic set of high valued services that all of our listeners should have, most of our listeners will know that I am a endurance athlete I am a long distance runner so I run marathons half marathons and triathlons and there is a saying in the running community that you have to run your own race, don’t run someone else’s race run your own race that is a mantra I have when I am racing and so in the same way you want to run your own race when it comes to deciding what high valued services to add – and rather than doing demographics of saying well, what do people in my community want I would encourage you to approach it ina different way what are you interest in? What are you want to learn about more clinically, what excites you what would have you giddy with excitement to take a CE course that is something clinical you can add to your practice and those are the ones, that you should have. Because if you like it two things are going to happen – you are going to enjoy doing more of those procedures and you are probably going to get really good at it because it is something you enjoy – we are better at things we enjoy – you got to pick the things you like – N: It is part of the transformation right, instead of being dictated right instead of insurance, oh half a dentistry every year to doing things you love as a clinician you know getting deeper and deeper into those things G: Yeah N: And of course sharing that with your patients so they know that you have such a love and commitment to whatever that is, sedation veneers, you are going got be good at it and it is something you are going to enjoy because you want to do it as opposed to another day at the mill G: You know we are in the middle of winner which is different for you in to not that it is for me in Scottsdale –but it is kind of for me like rolling at the top of the hill starting that little snowball rolling down the hill N: Right G: That is what this does it's about picking them – from the man, I am in this to the time you're at the bottom of the hill you have got this big piece of a snowman, that started out a  little baseball sized snow ball at the top of the hill. So let’s talk about some examples of high-value services to consider and gain this is not mean t to be the perfect list, just ideas that we have applied in our own practice and our clients have applied with lots of success. Placing and restoring dental implants – adult orthodontics, adult orthodontics another greet high-value service to add – cosmetic dentistry which could b a lot of things but I tend to thin of veneers and smile designs, great high-value service to add – oral conscious sedation – another great service to add you know 49 percent of all adults out off a visit to the dentist because of fear, 22 percent won't visit the dentist at all because of fear, once we let them know that there is a way for them to be completely comfortable during any vest in our practice, you are going to have a line – you have another high-value service to offer – complex restorative dentistry – many people, people are living longer they are living healthier they want to enjoy great oral health throughout their entire life and they want to be able to eat anything they want. Complex restorative dentistry, diagnosing and treating obstructive sloe apnea, another area that is creating a lot of interest in dentistry and another one just to go in a different direction in states where it is allowed doing Botox treatments, in many states you know check with your state but in many states, we can add Botox as a service in dentistry. And again that is a great example of people being willing to pay for something that they want before they will pay for something that they need, and there is more but that is just kind of a brainstorming list that you can use to think about your own high-value services and there is a need for every one of those, dental implants, seventy-five percent of Americans 35 and older are missing at least one tooth – 75 percent twenty-two percent of Americans are over age 60 are completely denture less – they have no teeth, and dental implant represents a pathway second chance to great oral health anyway I could go on and on, but there is – thin boat what interest you and three is other areas, think abbot what interest you and make your run your own race – you decide you decide what interests you. If it interests you I can assure you it will be successful in your practice, now I want to close this episode, with a tip- that was worth listening to just for this tip – once you become skilled in these areas and you add them to your practice I want to train your team members, on how to create interest in your high-value services, and I want to use it by example and I am going to use adult ortho saws an example – I have a  client that was an Invisalign provider for many years – and when I looked at the data he was doing 3 Invisalign cases a year – historically, Naren I could be sarcastic again here, like the whitening you know their Invisalign cases is kind of like Woohoo way to go N: Ha ha ha G: And the fact that he even said to me, Gary I need to do more Invisalign or stop doing it at all because I do it so rarely I always have to go back and look at my training materials I forget how to do the clan checking it is kind of a nuisance but I like doing it, so I either get to do a lot more of it or drop it – I said you are right, and anyway in the meantime, he had a hygienist that had to relocate sadly her husband was transferred out of state and they had to move and they hired a new hygienist and I am looking at the data – he went from 3 Invisalign cases a year to 1 a week. And this was not just a fluke, it was consistent one a week – hey Naren how about 3 a year compared to 52? N: Yeah that is a 14x improvement G: Ha ha ha N: I mean it is a little bit of you know a measurement to really measure some success G: And it is like a quarter-million dollars in his practice you know that s great – as opposed to before it was like 50 now depending on the price N: Well remember when it used to be a nuisance? It is no longer a nuisance in his practice it is like a cornerstone anyway I said, you know what? What are you doing? He said I hired a new hygienist, and she is doing it and I said well I have got to talk to her and she said well Garry I came from an office that was doing a lot of Invisalign, and here is what I do – she said I approach the patient, and I am looking for crowding or spaces – notice what she is looking for Naren crowding or spaces G: Yeah She is not looking for posterior inclusion. She is looking for crowding and spaces N: Right G: And if the patient has crowding or spaces she said here is what is ay I say Linda if there was a way to correct the spaces, in your teeth – without brackets or braces, would you have any interest in that? Guess what the vast majority of people say? Well yeah, I just did not want to look like I was back in middle school with those brackets – well we offer a service called Invisalign as the name might imply they are like it is a liner and so we can use this orthodontic procedure without brackets and braces when the doctor comes in to do the hygiene exam today I ask him to take a look and see if you are a candidate for Invisalign? Oh please, I would like to know – doc comes in she would make a pass off, Dr. Joe Linda is interested in learning if she can correct the spaces in her teeth with Invisalign – would you do e a favor take a look, and let her know? Of thank you so much for letting them know you bet I will do that and that is what they did to go from 3 cases to 52 cases by the way that has been sustained ever since. And we have seen this in practice after practice after practice, so train your team members on simple verbal skills to look for simple things that we can talk to them about I mean there are all kinds of, I could go through every one of those high-value services and adapt that, but I want to share that as a closing point to show you how you can really turbocharge all of this. Well hey, thanks so much for listening we absolutely love every one of our listeners at the less insurance dependence podcast, rammer Naren mentioned at the benign remember the master class coming up March 31st, specific plan to reduce your overhead to 60 percent or less. As we wrap up today let me simply say thank you we appreciate you, the things you can do to support our work, you can share this episode with a friend, secondly, you can jump on iTunes under less insurance depended and write us a review more reviews means more dentists can find us. The third thing you can do is you can hit the subscribe button on whatever your podcast directory is it could be iTunes it could be Google play it could be spottily it could be apple music, wherever you get your podcast be sure to hit subscribe that means that every Thursday when we upload a new show you will never miss a future episode, hey looking forward to connecting with you on the next insurance dependence podcast.

The book “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelo is very inspiring and leads me to her poem “Caged Bird.” Stay tuned to a beautiful insight of keeping the end in mind through your cage of life challenges. Jumpstart your brain; jumpstart your life! The post Podcast Episode 87 – A Black History Moment : “Caged Bird.” appeared first on Endless Brain Energy.

This entire chapter of real-life stories of prejudice from Dr. Melodye Hilton's audio book, Unmasking Prejudice: Silencing the Internal Voice of Bigotry. First laying a foundation for these powerful and poignant stories. Dr. Melodye bring an introduction sharing that all prejudice is destructive and toxic to our mind-brain. Negative thoughts are more forceful to establish unhealthy memory because they are accompanied by intense emotion, which establishes an automatic fear-based pattern of thought. Maya Angelo said, "If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die." She later said, "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." After the stories Dr. Melodye will close the chapter with today's choice is a place of power for all of us, as powerful people change what they can and choose peace in what they cannot. This book can be purchased in Paperback, Digital Version, or Audio Book

Do you know who the first African American poet was? I thought Maya Angelo, but boy was I wrong. Take a listen to Phillis story. Also, I talk about parenting. There is no right or wrong way. I just want us to be better. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jay-marie4/message

Hello again! Today we are celebrating Black History Month with a piece by Maya Angelo! Remember that Black History Month is not the only month we honor Black voices but that we should make a conscious effort to uplift others' voices. I hope y'all have a wonderful week!

On the Pulse of Morning by Maya Angelo, written and delivered for Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993.

When people tell you who they are, believe them. This quote is by the famous Maya Angelo. When she said this to Oprah, it hit me. This person that I was dating was telling me who they were along and I was not paying attention. I stared to serious go through each and every person I dated and asked myself, "What did they tell me that I did not pay attention too?" The answer was shocking. Enjoy this podcast and enjoy the series on Youtube but totally different content on conscious dating. WEBSITE: https://www.jimmyallencoaching.com INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/jimmyallen/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jimmyallencoaching/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/simplyjimmy YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/SimplyJimmy1/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jimmyallen/support

Quote Maya Angelo by IndaCarSeat DatGUY Terry Dwayne Ashford speaking as Executive of DatGeetv. DatGeetv is DatGUY Television which aims at delivering content that improves life showing lifestyles as REAL. That is what datgeetv does, and what it's goals will be as it grows forever more around the globe. All under Terry Dwayne Ashford who was forced to live in the seat of his car as hidden sex among men were allegedly being shared on his life. Using Harriet Tubman underground railroad tactics as it's tactic to traffic sex. Demonic is a word all shall remember from IndaCarSeat DatGUY Terry Dwayne Ashford. Feelings through the mind of graceful Maya Angelo, a confidant of Oprah and the Obamas, an Ashford remembered HER in describing his feelings. DatGeetv is a TATMEDIA Co that delivers broadcasts alongside streetNOW News, datguyradio, BlabberNEWS through the IndaCarSeat DatGUY Terry Dwayne Ashford hosting.

I have heard it said many times before, “The Gospel is either good news for everyone or it is good news for no one.” Yet time and time again, one group or another gets pushed aside, deemed not acceptable, excluded...by the Church. This conversation is a personal journey that Craig and I have been on for years, and we’ve decided that we can’t be authentic to our own faith or integrity without publicly stating that we are fully affirming of our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. We have witnessed first-hand and far too many times the trauma and oppression that exclusion from the church inflicts upon the LGBTQ+ community and believe that same-sex sexual orientation and the diversity of gender identities included is not a sin. No, we haven’t always believed this, and this podcast is a conversation about that journey. In no way is this intended to be a slam on our traditional faith upbringings or the people that led us and taught us so well...this is simply a story about where we are now. We aren’t trying to “start something” or cause a riff between us and those who may view this differently. We simply want to say publicly: to the LGBTQ+ community, we see you, you are loved by us and by God, and we are sorry we have spent too much time as silent allies. In the words of Maya Angelo, “once we know better, we must do better.” This is one step in that direction.

What a powerful story of tenacity, courage, and love. Her father took incredible risks because of love - what father wouldn't? Laura overcame great odds as a person without status to achieve her dream of higher education. But most importantly, she learned perseverance through her struggles and came out stronger because of them. Of course she gives back to her community in such palpable ways. Of course she seeks to help others, it's who her father encouraged her to be through his own life example. Thank you for reminding me of the beauty that comes when we persevere through the hard times.I believe Maya Angelo captures the essence of who Laura is best when she says, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” May we all encounter defeats and choose to rise from them as Laura has.Laura's Quote: "Love one another." John 13:34Colorado Rapid Response Network Hotline: 1-844-864-8341Laura's Documentary - "No One Shall Be Called Illegal" (https://vimeo.com/261595404)What is DACA? https://www.fwd.us/daca-101/DACA video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqzBfZ7oSZAThe Gaurdian Article about DACA: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/18/daca-dreamers-us-immigration-explainer

Welcome back fam! Today I have a powerful interview for you. We are addressing inequality and injustice with Eboni Ward. Eboni is a mom, life, and fitness coach, she is an entrepreneur, and today we getting uncomfy about inequality. If you immediately have the urge to shut this episode off or you are already feeling defensive by reading the title of this episode. I encourage you to stick it through with us. This is a profound episode and I know there are people out there who were just like me completely unaware of the injustice happening around us. It is time to sit in our feelings and self reflect because this is a human problem. It is not irrelevant to you no matter what your skin color is. Racism is real it is an ongoing issue in all of our communities and the only way to change this is to step up and learn the lessons we need to learn to move forward together. We need to take responsibility for our naive upbringing, we need to take responsibility for our actions because if we don’t we will not grow passed the racist roots that our country is grown on top of. I hope this episode teaches you as much as it taught me. I honestly have had my eyes opened up so much through everything that has happened over this summer and I want to be a part of the changes coming for our future generations. It's like Maya Angelo once said “Do the best until you know better when you know better do better” We gotta do better fam. I am going to do better and hopefully, this helps you realize that we all can do better together. Time Stamps: [9:50] The difference between appropriation and assimilation. [10:00] The historical culture behind braids and protective hairstyles. [11:30] My experience being reprimanded in middle school for cultural appropriation. [14:30] Motherhood as a Black woman and the historical lessons Eboni wants others to understand are behind people’s views. [23:05] How we can get through the layers of racism and find a way forward together. [27:50] What steps you can take to change systemic racism in your daily life. [34:00] Gentrification and Eboni’s experiences with gentrification in her life. [47:30] Resources Eboni recommends for those who want to learn about the Black community, and how to support big changes that need to happen. [1:08:00] Eboni’s hard no & Hell Yes Links & Resources: Check out my latest fitness apparel or join my fitness app through my website https://www.anniefitlifefitme.com/about Get daily personal development inspiration, mindset practices, workouts, and lifestyle fun by following me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/annie_fitlifefitme/ Get podcast updates, inspiration to boost your day and, personal growth quotes by following the Let's Get Uncomfy Podcast on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/letsgetuncomfy.podcast/ Eboni’s website and fitness team! https://www.thefittteam.com/fitness-programs Follow Eboni on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fitt.eboni/ Read about the Jim Crow Laws https://www.amazon.com/Crow-Laws-Racism-American-History/dp/0766012972

Episode 169: Challenge #3: Find the Lesson in Something that Doesn't Go Your WayWelcome Listeners to the Love Your Story podcast. Today’s episode is a part of a series where I am going into more detail on each of the challenges in my book - LIFE Living Intentional and Fearless Everyday, the 21 Life Connection Challenges. In episode 89 I went into some wonderful detail about the process of doing Random Acts of Kinds - and we got feedback from the RAK night and what they looked like, what popped up for those doing the acts of kindness, and what feelings and thoughts doing the RAK’s generated in those doing them. It’s all a lot less predictable than it sounds. In episode 163 I went into detail with Ashley Stuart, a de-clutter expert, and we talked about why challenge #2 - to get rid of 1 think you no longer need - is so much more important than this simple act seems on the surface.  These episodes open up the wonderful egg of why these challenges were included in the book in the first place by getting into more detail about what they are, having experts weigh in on the ideas, and then showing real life examples. Stay tuned because today we are exploring Challenge #3 - to find the lesson in something that doesn’t go your way. Maya Angelo said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”.  Amen, sista! There are lots of ways to look at life. Lots of ways to look at every event that happens to us and the way we interpret it. I’m talking about the guy who cuts us off in traffic, or your friend that always shows up late - I’m talking about every day stuff. When we learn how to be aware of our conclusion and interpretations of them, and then we get good at choosing perceptions that serve us, then we control our own destiny with power. We acknowledge all the time that our stories are filled with challenges - people we clash with; lost love; bad drivers; situations that require the depths of our patience; health and body issues; disappointments; lost jobs; that lump of coal you got for Christmas; the state of the world; the defining of sharks. Of course there are also moments of beauty and miracles, but this challenge is about the habit of how we deal with disappointments and challenges. One of the tays we can approach life is with the idea that everything is a life lesson. If you look at life as if the people you meet and everything you encounter are all a part of your learning experience here in this thing we call life, then we get lots of opportunities to choose attitude. When we approach life as if all our experiences hold a gift for us then hope and faith become our companions instead of blaming, bitterness and disappointment.  It’s easy to start making up stories about ourselves and others when things don’t happen the way we want: I’m not good enough; that person had it out for me; my boss doesn’t really like me, the world is full of assholes. None of these are helpful stories - even if they seem real. That’s where the practiced habit of remembering that you get the wonderful challenge and opportunity to choose how you see things.  Become aware of your interpretations Remember they are not fact - they are created by your upbringing, culture, belief system, education, assumptions, etc. Choose to shift the negative interpretations into ones that will serve you better. What do I mean by ones that serve you better? Choose interpretations that focus on the lesson or meaning in something really hard. For example, when I was first reframing my story about many difficult things that had happened to me as I went through 3 divorces, I realized, with some reframing help, that I had experienced many things that gave me massive amounts of empathy for others. I had gained empathy and understanding that helped me grow. My most painful life moments had still been painful and had still been gigantic and had still...

Have you ever thought about the story you are telling with the things you bring into your home? Have you ever thought about what your décor style says about you? I love seeing how different people’s home décor or personal style says so much about their personality, culture, history, where they’ve traveled, and what they hold near and dear to them. My guest today has combined her passion for travel, culture, and fair trade into a thriving business that is helping others tell their stories in a beautiful way. Latoya Tucciarone is the founder and owner of Sustainable Home Goods. Latoya started Sustainable Home Goods in 2017 because she truly believes that one of the best ways to end world poverty is through trade, not aid. Prior to starting Sustainable, she worked for fair-trade jewelry company, Noonday Collection (which is no stranger to this podcast)! During her time with Noonday, Latoya noticed a rise in ethical shopping for jewelry and clothing, but very few fair-trade options for the home. She saw a niche and she wanted to fill it. Sustainable Home Goods can be found online and at Ponce City Market in Atlanta, GA. Latoya graduated from Elon University (just down the road from me!), started a successful photography business, and has traveled all over the world. She’s also raising four amazing kids with her husband Andrew. I loved this conversation with Latoya. We could have talked all day. Sit back, relax, and join me for this great conversation! 3:52 - The Latoya 101 Latoya and her husband are beautifully busy in Atlanta, GA with their four children, ages 4, 7, 10, and 11. Latoya grew up in southern California, which fostered her love of being connected to people from all different cultures. In college Latoya had a chance to study abroad and live in South Africa for a month. That’s when she first fell in love with people groups and really realized her love for the world and for traveling. Between Latoya’s travel and her husband Andrew’s travel for his production company, the two have seen more than 50 countries! Her experiences traveling also grew her heart for recognizing the need to engage vulnerable communities through fair trade in a sustainable way. That means collaborating with them through trade, not just charity. Latoya’s family facilitated cultural experiences without leaving the house, whether through music available for the kids to listen to, or art prominently displayed throughout the house.  8:30 – Trade Not Aid Populations that are already vulnerable are even more so during a crisis like the one we’re in now with the global Coronavirus pandemic. There are so many systemic issues that still have to change to protect vulnerable communities when things are good!    Latoya and Andrew took their kids to Guatemala last July so that they could meet the artisans and understand the process, love, and tradition that goes into handmade items. The kids don’t think of the artisans as receiving charity, they see them as talented partners.  Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. -Leila Janah Latoya’s focus is to find talented people and partner with them so that there is an opportunity for their unique, handcrafted work to be seen, celebrated, and purchased! Sustainable Home Goods works hard to create a story-driven experience to show people how each piece was made. Pieces can be even more treasured knowing that people have the honor of bringing a unique, special item into their home. 21:56 - Between Two Tensions Latoya credits her experience with Noonday Collection as the first time she really understood how business can be used for good. She loved working with jewelry and Noonday Collection, but she was drawn to home décor and creating a warm and inviting space and filling homes for stories. When she surveyed the retail landscape, she noticed there weren’t as many options for purchasing ethically for the home like there were for purchasing ethical fashion. Latoya knew she wanted to create a space for people to shop safely, knowing there was no exploitation behind the pieces they purchased. She started slowly with basic e-commerce for a year and a half, followed by a few pop ups shops and markets. Seeing people pick up products in their hands and connect with a story made Latoya quickly realize that it was time to open a brick and mortar. She knew there was only one place she wanted to be. She called the Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Georgia. The location in “the Hollywood of the South” allows Sustainable Home Goods to foster even more meaningful conversations with regular people, celebrities, and scientists about breaking poverty and violence cycles with jobs, sustainable income, and trade. When people visit the store from other countries, they comment about feeling right at home. Latoya is well on her way toward a goal of Sustainable Home Goods becoming “the Whole foods of ethical shopping.” Sustainable Home Goods is very mindful about what they bring into the store, and everything is carefully hand-picked and curated. Latoya wants to create a special place for people to shop for modern items while still honoring traditional techniques.  36:23 – The Experience of a Black Woman in Fair Trade In the past year or two, Latoya has seen more black women engaging in the fair-trade industry. Latoya has had strangers at conferences comment on her looks or even touch her hair! People also go out of their way to acknowledge her presence. It stands out to Latoya that there are so few black women in the industry that when they arrive, everyone notices. It can feel a bit uncomfortable and lonely to say the least. Knowingly or unknowingly, the industry treads a fine line of perpetuating the image of the white savior and white people centering themselves. When traveling, it’s also hard to witness people in other cultures acknowledging a purchase from a white person as having “made it”, equating that metric to success. It’s not the measure of their worth, and it can be a heartbreaking to see. Latoya and Noonday Collections worked on ways to shift the narrative to use ethnic models and do photoshoots on location where artisans live. It’s important for artisans to see their own people wearing and using their creations. Seeing people reconnecting to their own heritage through the artisan items is very encouraging and special, especially knowing that connection can also support the artisans around the world who share that same heritage. The more businesses that follow ethical business practices, the more people are seeing that it’s just a good way to do business, no matter your race. As the industry grows, Latoya’s hope is that we will organically see diversity in the industry grow as well. You can have good intentions, but if your impact is negative, it’s important to recognize it and change. When we know better, we do better (Maya Angelo). It’s most important to be in real relationship with people different from us. That’s the best way to learn how to be mindful about how we treat each other, rather than coming in with preconceived notions from something we’ve read in a book. Being in close relationship is disarming. Being open with each other is the way we were created to live. 56:11 – Getting to Know Our Guest Find out what Latoya is learning about herself during Covid-19 (oooh, it’s good stuff), her most unusual talents, who she would choose to play her in a movie about her life, what makes her feel most alive, and of course, what it means to her to run a business with purpose. #carbsandgrace Memorable Quotes 18:00 - There are brilliant artists coming out of Africa and telling their story. You just never hear about modern art coming out of Africa. So how do we change that narrative? 22:52 - You’re kind of left with those two tensions ... This is a way to live in that love of culture while also being able to engage in ending the poverty and suffering that you’re seeing. 42:20 - We can be connected to our heritage and our people through fair trade and purchasing items that are helping our brothers and sisters all over the world…That’s the narrative that I’m working on: be connected to who you are and your heritage. 50:45 - Be mindful of being culturally respectful, but in the context of relationship. I think sometimes people want to skip over the relational part and just be able to say what they want to say and do what they think is best. There’s some work to be done. Just love someone who’s different than you. 51:27 - Relationships are just so, so important. Before you get on twitter and start spouting about something, or get on Facebook and spouting about something, or putting a sign in your yard, just stop and say, ‘Am I loving and am I in relationship with people who are different than me?’ And if not, then that’s your first step. Go and love and be with people who are different. ABOUT LATOYA TUCCIARONE: LaToya Tucciarone is the Founder and Owner of SustainAble Home Goods. She started SustainAble in 2017 because She truly believes that one of the best ways to end world poverty is through trade not aid. Previous to starting SustainAble,  She worked for fair trade jewelry company Noonday Collection. Getting to work with that amazing company really set her on this journey. During her time time with Noonday, she noticed a rise in ethical shopping for jewelry and clothing but very few fair trade options for the home. She saw a niche and wanted to fill it. SustainAble Home Goods can be found at Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Georgia. LaToya is a graduate of Elon University, started a successful photography business, has traveled all over the world and somewhere along the line is raising 4 absolutely amazing kids with her husband Andrew. Connect with SustainAble Home Goods: https://yoursustainablehome.com/ https://www.facebook.com/sustainablehomegoods/ https://www.instagram.com/sustainablehomegoods/ Thank you to our sponsor of this week's episode: Hope*writers Have you ever felt like you have words to share but you don’t know where to start? Have you struggled with the tension between the art of writing and the business of publishing? With the help of hope*writers, an online community of working writers dedicated to the success and creativity of each member, you can learn how to share your words of hope with a world that desperately needs to hear them. Hope*writers takes seriously the creative, social, and spiritual call to the deep work of sharing your stories and ideas with the people who need them the most. They help writers make progress by finding and following the path to sharing their words with a reader — without feeling lost, discouraged, or overwhelmed. To learn more and discover which of the six stages of writing you are currently in, visit https://www.hopewriters.com/molly to take the 30-second quiz. You have words of hope. Hope*writers wants to help you share them. I have actually been a  member of hope*writers for over two years now and it has been one of the best investments I’ve made in my own writing journey! Head to hopewriters.com/molly to take that 30-second quiz!

Queer Ballads and other Musings recorded at Radio StationStation (Paris) We invite you to enjoy various readings that embody the spirit of our project: heartfelt, challenging, sometimes uncomfortable, always honest. Lean into the music we are vibing with. Breathe.w/ Fatimah Asghar / Justin Phillip Reed / Joseph O. Legaspi / Natalie Diaz / Jericho Brown / Sam Sax / Carl Phillips / Raych Jackson / Twoey Gray / Dr. Maya Angelo

You want more success and better fruition for your life. What you are about to have revealed is possibly your greatest, most detrimental bad habit. As English is the international business language, complaining is the international language we use in relationships with other humans. In this show I bring you Will Bowen, the founder and purveyor of an initiative called A Complaint Free World. You will hear why his fans include Maya Angelo and Oprah Winfrey and he’s been featured on The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC Evening News and much more. 12 million of his purple “Complaint Free World” bracelets have been sent to people in over 106 countries. Your mind will be blown to realize how prevalent this divisive and destructive habit is in our culture, and in your own mouth. Following this revelation we will cover exactly why we and others complain so, so often. It is disheartening, but also convicting and something you can start reversing immediately. Not easily, mind you. But when you understand how your complaining is undermining your life you’ll understand why I now feel it’s quite possibly the number one thing we can address for our overall peace, joy, fulfillment, and life success. Will provides us with a methodology to decrease our complaining with a Complaint Free Challenge. You can engage like I have by going to acomplaintfreeworld.org and find his book, A Complaint Free World, there or wherever you buy books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maya Angelo said "When You Know Better, Do Better." Let's apply that to breaking up, because at some point we face departures in life yet we treat those departures like we never had guidance. We do have guidance now, so let's do better. Let's understand that ways out as much as we understand the ways in. Let's take a look at the higher roads that we can take and give ourselves a solid standing on who and why we are the people we are in highest knowledges that we can have and share. Tune in and join in on the conversation tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM PT/8:30 AM ET! 

Happy 2020! Did you know that only 8% of people accomplish their New Year's Resolutions? In this episode, I'll explain why INTENTIONS, and not RESOLUTIONS actually bring in the results! Join in to learn how my motto for 2019 "this too shall pass" inspired me to learn more about the Power of Positive Thinking, and how you can harness this mindset to set you up for success in this new year! As put best by American poet Maya Angelo, "if you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

Having a vision modifies sight but acting on a vision modifies behavior. Once you see it, say it, write it and act on it that is making a commitment to your vision. I read an article where Maya Angelo gave advice to youth saying, "you must see it and then go about the business of becoming it. Study it and bring all your energies to it." 

Camille is the CEO and co-founder of Hueman Group Media https://www.huemangroupmedia.com/ She is the creator of the Sincerely, Hueman podcast  https://sincerelyhueman.com/ Her song choice is Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHy4n4cpuGs Her books are Becoming by Michelle Obama https://www.amazon.com/BECOMING-German-Michelle-Obama/dp/3442314879/ Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelo https://www.amazon.com/Letter-My-Daughter-Maya-Angelou/dp/0812980034/ Five Starts: The Communication Secrets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077DZV3NW For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy

Carolyn Koppel founded Aaron's Coffee Corner while sitting with her son Aaron in his hospital room. Her mission is to provide 24/7 access to free Keurig coffee to the family, friends and caregivers admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Ann & Robert Lurie's Children's Hospital of Chicago. Find out more at AaronsCoffeeCorner.org. Read more about The Passionistas Project. FULL TRANSCRIPT: Passionistas: Hi and welcome to The Passionistas Project Podcast. We're Amy and Nancy Harrington. Today we're talking with Carolyn Koppel, the founder of Aaron's Coffee Corner. Carolyn left a career in Hollywood to return to the Midwest where she worked at the Shoah Foundation and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios. Most recently she founded Aaron's Coffee Corner, while sitting with her son, Aaron, in his hospital room. Her mission is to provide 24/7 access to free Keurig coffee to the family, friends and caregivers of patients in the pediatric intensive care unit of Ann and Robert Laurie's Children's Hospital of Chicago. So please welcome to the show, Carolyn Koppel. Carolyn: Hello. Thank you. Passionistas: What's the one thing you're most passionate about? Carolyn: I feel that of course, right now I'm passionate about this project and getting coffee to people that really could use it, but I think in general, as I look back on my adult life, I've tried to work with organizations and people that do good, which I didn't really think about, but it turns out that it's a running theme in my life and I'm pretty proud of it. Passionistas: Why do you think you're drawn to projects that help other people? Carolyn: I think it's just my upbringing. I think I grew up pretty happily and my parents were always very kind to people and I think that my family has nurtured that. And as I went through middle school and high school and college, it's something that I carried with me. I think it's just my upbringing. I'll give that credit to my parents. Passionistas: How does that translate into what you do in your day to day life? Carolyn: Well, right now my day to day life is nothing that I thought it would be like 14 years ago when my child Aaron was born. So over the last few years I've thought about what can I do? Should I get a job? How can I get a job? Because there's a lot of medical appointments and there's a lot of time off if parent gets sick, how do I tell people that I need a really flexible job that can allow me to care for my globally delayed and medically fragile child? So it's been a journey to try and find something that I can do. And along the way I've volunteered on a parent board, um, for a local organization here called North suburban special education district, which my son is a part of and has been a part of. And I slowly got back into the idea of filling my time, trying to help somebody else because after you're in a situation like I am, it takes a long time to kind of settle into your life. And I think that just over the last few years we've had a little more regularity so you can kind of look outside of what your craziness is and say, Oh, other people have it worse than me. And I think that when I started going to the hospital, I think that played a big role in how I was going to handle life with Aaron. And that I always looked around when I was in the pediatric intensive care unit and thought, Oh my God, look at these people. They have it so much worse than we do. And I think that always rang true that no matter how frustrating and how difficult and how ludicrous you feel your life is, somebody has always got it worse. So it took a long time to kind of get to the point where I'm like, okay, well it's always going to be like this. Let's see how we can help other people because now I have things a little under control and let's open it up and see what we can do for others. And that started to happen about four or five years ago, but I couldn't really find what I needed until I was so frustrated in the middle of the night in a hospital room that I couldn't find some coffee. And that's really how we got here. Passionistas: Let's back up a step. Tell everybody about Aaron and why you're in the hospital so much. Carolyn: So my son has something called dihydro perimeter ING dehydrogenase deficiency. And it's not necessarily uncommon to have this disorder, but it is to have it from birth. So his symptoms started showing very early and at about 18 weeks he had a seizure and then we knew something wasn't right. And we took ourselves to that hospital and we needed to get transferred down to Lurie's children's because they didn't know what was going on and they had to get the seizures under control. So this disorder was known to people. And when Aaron was admitted to the hospital, he was there for about, I think the first time, about eight days. And they just did a battery of tests and they were trying to figure out what was wrong. And they did EKGs to see about his seizure activity. And they took all kinds of blood tests and one test from that very admission kept coming back positive. And I remember that genetics factor coming in and saying, well this is something we're going to have to test again because I've never seen it in my career. So we're gonna send it to the Mayo clinic and have the, his blood tested it and then we're going to see what they say. And then it came back from the Mayo clinic and they said there's one man in the Netherlands that's doing research on this particular disorder. You did test positive for it and can we have blood samples from your whole family and urine samples and send them to him? And when that was confirmed, we knew what his diagnosis was. So a lot of kids that are medically fragile and globally delay, they don't have any kind of diagnosis. So we were lucky right there that we had something to hold on to. And the way that we knew that this was what he had was because there was a drug called five plural are soul, that men in their forties when they get prostate cancer, sometimes we're treated with this drug and it had horrible side effects including death. So this man in the Netherlands had created a urine test that could test before they had this treatment to make sure that they can get it. And that's the test that Aaron kept coming back positive for. So they pulled it back around and they said, we don't have very much information on this disorder, but we know that children haven't lived past the age of three. So that was his diagnosis and his prognosis very early on, at around under a year. And that's a shock. Let me tell you what he suffers from I guess. So he has epilepsy. He suffers from unmanageable seizures. He's globally delayed. He is not verbal and he is non-ambulatory, which means he is confined to a wheelchair. He doesn't really have the use of his limbs. So I guess he would technically be classified as a quadriplegic. And he has excellent hearing and a really good sense of spell. So he's fed through a G tube. He's on a number of medications, which he also takes through his G-tube. And as a result of the disorder, besides the epilepsy, he has lot of pulmonary issues, breathing issues. He's had pneumonia a few times. And one of the many reasons we've been in the hospital so often is that it doesn't take very much for him to get. And when he does, he has a really hard time recovering from it. So he's just a really sick, handsome little guy, you know, and, and he's just a love. He recognizes voices, he smiles when he's happy, whether you know why he's happy or not. It's always good to have him smile. And I think that he is surrounded by so much love that he emanates it back. He really is a lucky kid and we're lucky to have him. Passionistas: We're sorry that you've had to deal with all that. Carolyn: Oh, it's okay. It's all right. It's turned out to be a pretty good life unexpectedly. Passionistas: Let's go back and talk about your path to getting to here. So you studied journalism at the university of Wisconsin Madison, and what were your goals at that point when you graduated and what did you do? Carolyn: Well, my goal at the university of Wisconsin was to get out of the cold when I graduated. And my parents had already had that idea and they deserted me while I was living while I was in college. So they took off or Arizona and I went and shacked up with them for a year and I worked as a stringer producer. So there was a company in Arizona and we would do work for the Phoenix suns and for lifestyles of the rich and famous and for ESPN and all those kinds of stringer things. That was anything that was happening in entertainment tonight. Anything that was happening in Phoenix, we would run out and do a little bit and I would be the person holding the little microphone and asking the questions off camera. And a friend of mine had already moved out to California and she's like, well why don't you come out here? And I'm like, okay. And I had another friend from Arizona that happened to be going to California for a summer program and she and I ended up being roommates with a couple of other girls and I got a job. I was, the first thing I did is I went to limited express to make sure I could work for them while I was there cause I had to have a job. And I had done that on and off. Like through school I had worked at limited express. So that was my first thing. And another friend of mine said, well why don't you come in and interview and see if we have a job for you at Viacom? And it was via con television. And at the time it was Dean Hargrove and Fred Silverman and they were doing all of these shows that old people like “Jake and the Fatman” and “Matlock” and “Perry Mason” “Diagnosis, Murder.” It was awesome. And I ended up working for a woman who was the script production office manager, Donna and I was a script coordinator. So the first thing she had me do was learn how to type better because my typing skills were not up to par because I thought I'd be a broadcast journalist. From then on I was in a pretty good place. I was like, this is cool. I have a great group of friends, we're all in it together, we're all starting out. And it was a really great experience and I had done that for about four years. And I remember a friend of mine asked me to go see a movie and the movie was Schindler's list and I remembered that at the end of the movie we were on the universal lot and we had seen it in a screening room. And at the end of the movie it said that Steven Spielberg was starting a foundation to interview Holocaust survivors. And I was like, Oh well, if I remember correctly, he's my neighbor on the universe a lot. So let me send him some universal mail with my resume in it and a letter. And that got me introduced to the show foundation. And by then I was in California for five years and I was known as the crazy aunt from California. All my nieces and nephews were being born. It was like a machine out West out East. And I was like, I should see if I can give them an idea and see if they'll give me a job. So when I sent them a letter, I said, I really do believe that you're going to be wanting to locate in Chicago, Illinois and I'm from the Midwest and I'd be more than happy to run your production office from Chicago. And they said, well that's a little far off because you know, we're in one trailer in the back of Amblin entertainment right now and we have to get set up here. And I said, well, I'm happy to volunteer or whatever you need. And so eventually I volunteered there and they offered me the job in Chicago. So I became the Midwest regional coordinator for the show foundation. And that brought me back here. After that project was over, I went on to Harpo and an interviewer that was working for me on the show foundation said, Oh, you should meet my friend at the Oprah Winfrey show. She's a producer. And I said, okay. And I had coffee with her and I told her what I did and she went back to the office and told her, her boss, one of the producers and said, you know, you're starting up this new project, maybe she's the one for you. And I went in and I interviewed for that job and I got it. And it was the very beginning of Oprah's angel network, the original version of it where we raised money for kids to go to college and we built houses with habitat for humanity. So between the Shoah foundation and recording these visual histories of what had happened to these people during the most horrific period of time in their lives, and to show at the end how they've survived and how they've created new families and continue to do good in the world. Then to go top Harpo and give back to communities. It was just kind of a theme I was on and it was great and I was like, okay, what's the next thing? And I had been at Harpo for a little while and the angel network had kind of morphed into something else and they were opening up Oprah online, they creating their own website. So I moved over to that website and I helped them start that website. And I learned a lot about things that I never thought I would know about, like HTML and all that kind of stuff and how to create a website. But it wasn't really hitting the Mark for me. And I enjoyed my time there, but I had met my husband by then and he's like, well go look for a different job. And I think he found out about my next job, which was for adventure, which was an educational technology company right in the middle of the bubble. It was all very exciting and I was the operations manager and it was great. And then the bubble burst and I was four months pregnant and I look like I was eight months pregnant and one of those people that as soon as I got pregnant I looked like I had been pregnant for 17 years because I looked so pregnant at the beginning and I was like, I can interview for jobs because who's going to take a pregnant woman? And then I had my first child and everything was working out all right, we bought a house, my husband was working, did I really need to go back to work? Not really. I was lucky and I did some work here and there and a little production work and then Aaron was born and that's when things kind of took a little different path. And so I became the primary caregiver and I think all of those lessons that I learned from all of those jobs, I think that's the secret to really getting through life is to remember what you've learned and bring a little of that to your next project and bring all of that to your next project and to build upon it. And I think that by the time Aaron came, I kind of knew this was going to be okay and it's not horrible, but we don't know what's going to happen. And once he hit three years old, we started having a birthday party every year. We just had his 14th birthday party and my backyard this weekend. And I'm telling you, there's tons of people that come in there, his therapists and doctors and nurses and our family and friends that have supported us for 14 years, you know, that have gone through the highs and the lows and the hospitals, hospital visits. And I mean it just makes you realize how lucky you are. I think that they always say maybe a Maya Angelo says it. If you find it in your heart to care for somebody, then you've succeeded. So if you keep your heart open and you try and do the best you can for somebody else, you're going to get through the next door. And that's kind of how I got to where I am. I just, I love being in broadcast journalism, but I really loved helping other people and being a part of a bigger project and I think that's just the path I took, which turned out to work well for me. And I'm using all those skills now. So it's pretty remarkable. Passionistas: We're Amy and Nancy Harrington and you're listening The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Carolyn Koppel. To learn more about her mission to provide 24/7 access to free curd coffee to the family, friends and caregivers admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of Ann and Robert Laurie's Children's Hospital of Chicago, visit AaronsCoffeeCorner.org. Now here's more of our interview with Carolyn. Passionistas: How did the day to day skills you learned when you were in production apply to your life now? Carolyn: We're going to take a little downturn for, for a minute. And I say that with as light of an attitude as I can, but when you're told that your child is not gonna live past three, so for those first few years, you're not sleeping, you're listening for him to breathe and not to have a seizure every night. And then when you wake up in the morning you're like, Oh my God, we made it through the night. You know, cause you always think it's going to be nighttime when something happens and you're gonna walk into that room and something horrible will have happened and there goes on for many, many years. And once he hits three, you're like, how long is it going to go on? How do you plan for it? So you're going to be here one year and then gone the next. It's like when you get classified, you get the hanging sticker that says you're driving a car that has a handicap ramp or something, that little hang or the blue one. And then they're like, you know, well maybe you should have a license plate. And I'm like, no, because if I get the license play, maybe that's like superstitious and then something horrible is gonna happen. So there was a lot of that year after year, like I didn't want to think too far ahead, but here I am with a ramp van with a license plate that says we're handicapped. So you have to jump over those hoops to get where you are. And I think that's just a positive attitude. If you let go of what you think you're supposed to be doing with your life and then you're going, okay, well what am I supposed to be doing with it? Every time you do that you get a little further down the line. And I think I took that from all of my experiences in working with people and just volunteering and stuff like that. So I think I might date today. It really played a role in just moving forward everyday move forward and see what happens. And here we are. I mean it's kind of worked, you know, we have these moments where he gets RSV or he gets pneumonia and we're in the hospital and we are at that point where people are talking about do not resuscitate letters and what do we have in place to move ahead with his treatment? Or do we put a breathing tube in so he can recover from his illness? Or is the breathing tube something that's keeping him alive? Like is it because of his underlying disorder that he needs some breathing tube? So you're making those distinctions and you're looking at your child who's on all kinds of machines in a hospital and you're like, okay, what if we have to bury him next week? And those are not the kind of thoughts you want going around your head. But it's very practical and I'm a Capricorn and that's how I think. So I think the first thing that we did when those things kind of started happening, we were concerned about my older son Eli, who's 17 now and terrific and I was like, who is he going to talk to if something happens to Aaron? Because he's not gonna wanna talk to me or, or my husband stuck. I don't want to touch him. My sister, he needs like a third party. And I remember doing that early on, he was probably eight or nine and I thought, okay, we have that taken care of. We have a place for Eli to kind of process his feelings, but we have to, um, plan for things that you just don't think you need to plan for. And there are things that people don't want to talk about. Like you just have to, uh, compart mentally maybe and say this is where he'll be buried and when it happens, this is how we'd like it to happen. But those change, all those things change as you go through the process. I think that just understanding that it's going to be okay. You don't have a lot to do with it. Right? And you just have to understand it and not accept it, but understand it and move through it because it sucks. Don't get me wrong. So I think that's what gets us true to this situation where I was like having a little self pity party and I was really upset that I couldn't find some coffee at 10 o'clock at night. What's wrong with that? And it was really frustrating and that's at one of those times when you have a sick child, you kind of know that something's happening, right? Like he was not his normal self and he was having seizures that he didn't usually have and he was having some seizures that he hadn't had for a long time. So things were changing and you know that it could be growth, you know, it could be diet, it could be age, they have all these reasons for all these changes to happen and you end up going into the hospital a couple of times a year to have things checked out and that's where we end up. We end up in the hospital because everybody wants to help and the best possible way, except when you go for an EEG and people don't realize that there's a lot of times when you go into the hospital and you don't have full nursing care, you're on a floor and you're there and he's having all of these electrodes attached to his head and you're responsible for hitting this little alarm when you think he's having a seizure. So they can watch the video and look at the EEG printout and kind of determine if it's a seizure, if it's neurological, if they can say that it's a seizure or not and how to treat it, but you're the one for three days. In Aaron's case, we were there for three days this last time so we could be sure to catch what was happening and you're the one that's for doing it. You give him his meds, you are awake, you're watching the activity as it goes through, and then when you go to bed, there's somebody that comes into the room and watches it on the camera so you can't leave the room. You can't go down to elevators to get a cup of coffee or one elevator to go to the cafeteria because it's not open and room service is closed and then you just getting pissed, right? You're like, I have to stay up until midnight to turn him his last time. So Aaron, since he doesn't move, has to get moved every few hours. And the longest time that he sleeps on one side is from midnight to about six in the morning depending on when my husband wakes up. So I always have to stay up until midnight. And I was really frustrated and I'm like, why isn't there coffee ever in the hospital when I need it in the mornings before the rounds happen or the doctor start check again at seven o'clock in the morning and I've been up since five, why do I not have little more access to that? And I started thinking about it and I thought, well let's ask Keurig to help. And so that night, I think it was 10 45 I wrote them a letter and I said, it's 10 45 at night and I can't get a cup of coffee and how can we work together to make that happen in the hospital. And I had big visions of every floor having a Keurig machine for the families and it would be great and super easy. It seems so simple. And the rest of our stay happened. I wrote the letter, I put it aside, I went back to my job as seizure alarmist and couple of days later we went home and I'm like, Oh I wrote that letter, I should go read that letter. Maybe I'll send that letter. So I went back and I read it and I told my husband that I had written this letter and that I'm going to mail it out to the CEO of Keurig. So I did and I didn't hear from anybody and I was like, maybe I should send it to like the whole board of Keurig. So, cause it was Christmas time and who's really reading their mail and they're probably all off on vacation. And so in January, I think I sent it to all the board members listed on the cure USA website. And in February I got a phone call from this man, so I'm looking for Carolyn capital. I said, does this Carolyn? And he said, this is John Barrett from Keurig. And I'm like, it is not John Barrett from curate. And he's like, yes it is. And I was like, I was just trying to figure out how to start a fundraiser at Lurie's and how much a pure coffee machine would really cost. I'm doing all the research right now. And he's like, well, we'd like to help you out with that and as like you are kidding me. And he's like, no, whatever you need, figure it out, we'll help you. And so from that point I was like, I had already been complaining to people for two weeks and making sure that I was in the right. Nobody was going to disagree, that I don't deserve coffee when I want coffee. And I was getting a lot of really good feedback. I could have been because I was a little aggressive, but I knew that I was right. So I got in touch with Lurie's and I said, listen, I have this offer from Keurig and wouldn't it be great if we could get a machine on all the floors? And they're like, hold on there we are a huge hospital and we got to figure out if we can do it. And I, I got a few notes and this is when you learn that no is just the wrong answer. And if you keep complaining and keep talking about it, somebody is going to hear you and say, Oh well why can't we just try that on one floor? Because I had already gotten it down to that. My big dream had come in like how about a pilot program for three months? Can you give me that? And they're like, I don't know why we can't. That's a really reasonable thought and let me explore what we can do. So when this was all happening, it was my son's 13th year and in September I knew we were having a bar mitzvah. So in my mind, without telling a lot of people when I was up to, I was like, Oh, that would be a great way to kick off Aaron's bar mitzvah. You know, if people want to give money, we've always given money to make a wish. When I think Aaron was five, so Eli must've been around 11 we went on a Make-A-Wish trip and it was to this day, the best trip we've ever taken, I'm very grateful for that organization. And at every birthday for Aaron, we've always asked people to donate to make a wish. And I thought they've gotten enough money from us. We've paid that trip back. We sent a few kids on their own. We are all good with them. Let's see if we can switch directions and put our energies into this project. And so I had all of this formulating in my head and I kept getting no. So there were a few more phone calls and then one woman, Barbara Burke from the founders board. I think at Lori's called me up to give me the final no, and I kept her on the phone and she's like, I'm going to find out why we can't do this. I have a Keurig machine in my own house. It's very easy. I'm like, I know. So what's more? He got on board, it moved really quickly and we were able to set up a website through Lurie's about what we were doing and we were able to get it all done before labor day weekend in September and at his bar mitzvah I got up and told people what I was going to do and all of a sudden people were donating and people were sending me pictures of how they were using their mugs because everybody got a mug at the bar mitzvah and they'd fill up with pants or they'd show me their copy and I had an enormous help from, she's down my social media coordinator, but she's been Aaron's babysitters since he was one years old. She just said, we should put it online and this is a social media thing and you need an Instagram and a Facebook and a Twitter. And I'm like, I don't know how to use any of that. She's like, I'll teach you. And from that moment on, we've really snowballed when I was first formulating, and in my mind, people are going to give you money to give coffee to people. It's not for research or it's not for, you know, blankets or something for the kids. And I'm like, I'm done with the kids. Kids get tons of stuff. I don't think people realize that it's the whole family is part of the experience. And if you can bring a little comfort to the family in the smallest of ways, it's gonna make the biggest difference. And I always felt like if we could help the families, we were helping the child because you create less stress, you create a little peace of mind and it makes you better at navigating all of this unfamiliar stuff. All of the machines. Your child is all of a sudden hooked up to the medicine that I V bags, the noises in the hospital, the family that wants to desperately do something for you and they don't know what to do. You know, these are all ways you can help the whole community that supports you to make it a little easier. And I, I think it's a great idea and I just wish, you know, we can take it to a second floor and then a third floor and eventually as we continue, we can create grants for smaller hospitals. Set could use a Keurig machine, maybe don't know, pick you because they aren't big enough to have a pediatric intensive care unit, but maybe in their emergency room, you know, maybe we can spread a little bit of the comfort and help a lot of people. It doesn't take much. And I think the simplicity of it is really what's people are like, wait, what? You're just going to give them some coffee? I'm like, yeah, yes please. I think that people don't realize one in the hospital, it's expensive. So let's say that all of these years, until about two years ago, we got a Illinois medical waiver. So it helps us with everything. Like the 20% the deductibles, it goes through our insurance and then it goes to this waiver program and they help pay for it. So for the first 12 years we paid to have our house redone so we could have a wheelchair in the house. We had paid for diapers for 12 years. Those are big diapers and they're not like little Pampers. You can run to the store for wipes, gloves, you know, Chuck's for the bed, we have a really nice laundry machine because we do it all the time. We've spent all this money that people think, Oh that's like everyday kinds of stuff. But I don't think everybody has like a $700 a month bill for one medicine every month. Right. And they think, Oh well you have insurance and that's with insurance. So it's like paying for college but not saving for college for all of those years. And you're trying to save and you're trying to move money around. And that is stressful on its own. So these people that find themselves in the hospital in an emergency that we're counting on that. Like I been doing this for a long time. I know that when I used to go into the hospital and I got up $536,000 bill, I needed to pay 10% of that to the hospital. And that's a lot of money. So for years I was on a constant payment plan and I think that people, one, they need to know about those payment plans. Any hospital will take a payment plan and you should ask about it and get on it and only give them what you can afford. If anything anybody hears today, that should be it. But it's stressful. Money is stressful, sickness is stressful. So when you have those things mixed together and you find yourself in a hospital and you're like, can I really afford a $4 cup of coffee at Starbucks down the way? Maybe not. Maybe I could get a free cup of coffee down the hall and be back in time to talk to the nutritionist or the doctor. That's coming around. And if I'm gone for a couple of seconds, the nurse can say, Oh, she just went to get a cup of coffee. She'll be back in moments instead of finding out where the doctor is on the floor and what time rounds usually are, and then to rush out, get your copy and something to eat and then get back to your room so you don't miss anything. It's a whole different like universe inside a hospital. And it's even more difficult and unnerving to be in a PICU because a pediatric intensive care unit, just like when adults go to an intensive care unit, things are not good. So the best day, and I've said this before in the PICU, is the day you leave the pick queue and you want to leave the PICU. So it's just a different way of thinking of it and really simplifying it and saying, we appreciate what you're going through. We been there, we're a family that has experienced it, and we want you to know that it's going to be okay. It might take a little while. The journey is a long one and you just gotta stick with it. Passionistas: Is there one lesson you've learned so far on this journey that sticks with you the most? If you have a good idea and you hear no a lot, that you should take a risk and just keep trying for yes. Carolyn: I think that's a really big lesson to learn and that these things take time. You know, it takes a long time for somebody to say yes and it's worth it at the end when you hear yes, just don't give up. It's not anything great, but it's hard to do in practice is to not give up and just not take no for an answer. Because when you don't stop, there's going to be a door that opens up and somebody's gonna say, Hey, I'm there with you. And I think that's important to keep in mind and, and learn about yourself. Stick to it. If miss, I don't know. It's been a good journey. Hard, difficult, sad, glorious, fun. I mean all of those things. But it's still a journey. And at the end, we're all going to meet our end and the Aaron's going to meet it in its own time surrounded by people he love living a life that has been glorious because the people around him are glorious. What more could you ask for really? Right. So it's all gonna be good in the end. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Carolyn Koppel. To learn more about her mission, to provide 24/7 access to free Keurig coffee to the family, friends and caregivers of patients in the pediatric intensive care unit of Ann and Robert Laurie's Children's Hospital of Chicago, visit AaronsCoffeeCorner.org. And be sure to subscribe to the passion Eustace project podcast so you don't miss any of our upcoming inspiring guests.

(Like, Share, & Subscribe)I hope at this point in the year, everyone is still committed to their goals, and sticking to tasks you set out to accomplish. If not, don’t worry, you still have time to make it happen. So, make it happen! Today’s podcast will address some simple, yet dangerous culprits, that have been successful at killing dreams. The first dream killer I want to bring our attention is obvious, but the way it masks itself can prevent us from recognizing it when it shows up. Sometimes, we do not notice it until it is too late. That dream killer’s name is, DISTRACTION! It’s so easy to fall prey to distractions in the age we live in because we are busy people. We have more access to technology today than any other generation in the history of the planet. Not only do we have social media, Netflix, the internet, and work competing for our attention, we also have to find time for our families and friends. And we wonder why we are tired all the time? There are so many things vying for our attention. It can be challenging to figure out what is the priority, and what we should leave for later. Leadership and Personal Mastery Specialist Robin Sharma says, “your life is too important to give it to distractions.” Think about it -- when was the last time you were able to be alone with your thoughts for a couple of hours? When was the last time you practiced meditation techniques? How many of us can sit in a room for thirty minutes without grabbing our phones or tablets every few minutes to check emails, text messages, or social media? Growing up, when it would rain, my family would gather together in the living room and spend quality time together. I'm not sure if that was by force or by choice, but it was my parent's rule. When there was a storm coming, my mom would turn everything off, which included the air conditioner. We would open the door, lay on the floor, listen to the rain, sing, laugh, and enjoy each other's company. Those times created memories and a bond with my family that I will never forget. Today, quiet and alone time has become almost non-existent. It’s like we are too afraid to sit in quiet with our thoughts because we are too afraid of what might come to the forefront. I will admit, dealing with our doubts, and facing our past can be scary. So our way of dealing with it is to keep ourselves preoccupied. We associate being busy with being productive, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I can be busy driving, but that does not mean I am going in the right direction. I believe, if we re-evaluated our schedules today, we would find several things that are unproductive. If we eliminated those unproductive items we would see that we have more time to dedicate to making our dreams come to life. We have to evaluate our lives and check to see if our schedule or agenda is a distractor in disguise. Playwriter and Director Lorraine Hansberry were quoted as saying, “Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.” We need to ask ourselves:What do I really need to do? What do I need to let others do? What doesn’t need to be done at all?Distractions also come in the form of people. Some of our so-called friends are nothing more than distractions. If we are honest, we would admit that half the people we consider friends don't want to see us succeed. Many of them are hanging around, waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Some are spies for our enemies, and others are place holders we use when we want someone to hang out with. If we are real with ourselves, we can admit that true friends care about us enough to challenge us. True friends call us to a higher standard and make us better people.Here’s how you can tell if a person is a true friend:They require us to rise to a higher level. They demand we give our best to our dreams. They encourage and uplift us. They are not constantly running back telling us negative things other people have said about us.Real friends are not trying to compete with us. True friends tell us the truth even though it may be hard to hear and they tell us the truth with loving intentions. We know when a person is telling us something to help us verses hurt us. When we hear hard things for the first time, even if it is in love, it may rub us the wrong way. But, we have to be man and woman enough to give ourselves time to process what they said and decide if it's something we should give a second look. Because, more often than not, what they are telling us is the truth. And it's a truth that we have tried to ignore. True friends would rather hurt your feelings in love than see you go out and make a fool of yourself. But a lot of us don’t want people around that will tell us the truth. We want amen corners. We want to be the bearers of truth, but we don't want to be the receptors of truth. If everyone in your circle agrees with you all the time, and you never hear, "no, or maybe you should rethink that idea," then you need to upgrade your circle. Prime example, Robert Kelly, if you listen to interviews from people that have been around him, many of them said the same thing. He had a lot of “yes” people around him. People that would do whatever he wanted when he wanted. He didn’t have a lot of objective voices providing him with sound advice, now look where that got him. If you don’t know what’s going on with him, google it there’s a ton of info available. A quote by an unknown person says, “if you lose a friend because you are honest [they weren't] a good friend.” There’s no better time than today to get rid of the people that are not pushing you towards your dreams. This is the year we decide to do better and be better. For many of us, that starts with not returning some phone calls, text messages, blocking some people on social media, and completely disappearing from some folks. I’m not a fan of ghosting people, but some are just not worth the goodbye conversation. It’s okay to let people go that are not good for you. Another sneaky dream killer that we encounter is DISBELIEF & UNBELIEF. I can not tell you the number of people that I have talked to that has a wealth of wisdom, great ideas, and talents that, for whatever reason, they are just sitting on. I mean people that could write books that would land on the “Times Best Seller” list, but they don’t believe it's possible or they don’t value their talent, so they don’t pursue it. They discredit their god-given talents and think no one would listen to them. But you would be surprised by the things people don't know. Just because something comes easy to you, or your idea seems minuscule, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be valuable to someone else and change their lives. We don’t believe that we have anything to offer the world. We don’t believe we can actually be successful. We don’t think anyone needs what we have. Think about this, what if Maya Angelo thought the same way. What if Serena Williams shrunk back in her sister’s Venus shadow and thought, “She’s already great at tennis, surely I can't be good at it too.” What if Rihanna decided to past up the opportunity to create her make-up company Fendi? Seriously, we will never know the potential difference we could make, and the success we could have if we never try. What is that thing that you know like the back of your hand? What’s that advice that everyone always comes to you about? What are you great at? What can you do with your eyes closed that others view as an obstacle? I am not saying everyone needs to look to start a business or write a book. But what I am saying is you could be sitting on an idea that could change the world. Truthfully, you will not have all of the answers in the beginning. It is not going to be easy getting started. You will hear more no's than yes' in the beginning. But, as you begin to pursue your dreams, you will find that the answers will come. I wrote a quote a while ago that says, “If you don’t give yourself a chance, it will never be your time.” I know a lot of us are wondering when is my time coming? When will the stars align in my favor? Will the universe ever make my dreams a reality? My question to you is, are you giving yourself a chance? Do you believe in you? Do you believe in your abilities? Are you dismissing what you are good at? Novelist Alice Walker says, "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.” That starts with you valuing what you have enough to believe in yourself. In 2016, I wrote this affirmation and I have reincorporated into my daily routine. It says, I live a lifestyle that is sustainable. All of my dreams are attainable. I keep my focus on Christ who leads and guides me so my mistakes are minimal. I cherish every moment of my life the good, bad, and ugly. Every day I am alive, gives me an opportunity to become a better person. I will not reduce my standards to fit someone else’s plans. I stand firm on my beliefs, therefore, I live a life free of guilt, shame, and filled with heavenly promises. My path is sure, my confidence is contagious, and I never lose. I use mistakes to show me better methods to accomplish my goals. I have started back saying this to myself daily. The first step in getting rid of unbelief is to first change what we are telling ourselves. When those negative thoughts pop into our heads we have to combat them with something. It may not be a 10 sentence affirmation, but say something when the negativity comes to mind. Sometimes, that stuff comes out of nowhere. Like the other day, I was driving and a thought popped into my head and was like, maybe it’s time to quit the podcast. I mean, I wasn’t even thinking about this podcast. I admit, I entertained it for like five seconds. Then I was like, I have too much on the line, I have a vision for this podcast that far exceeds where it is right now. I am not going to quit. I cannot quit. I have too much in me to quit. If and when negative thoughts come, we must combat them with what we truly believe. Distractions do not have to rule our lives. We do not have to give in to them. We do not have to bow down to them. One way to fight the dream killer DISTRACTION is to first determine what is taking away our focus. This may take scheduling some "me" time, and this process should be on-going. It’s not something we can do once and think we have all the answers. I heard the CEO of Chick-fil-a Dan Cathy say, “Nothing nourishes the soul like solitude.” Schedule time weekly, or daily to reflect, game plan, and deal with your thoughts and emotions. Give it a try for two weeks. Here's are some suggestions: Schedule quiet time either in the morning or evening. Plan to wake up 30 mins to an hour early, and designation that time for reflection and meditation. Here's another valuable tip, do it before you pick up your phone, turn on the TV or even get out of bed. I suggest using a pen and paper. Put a notepad near your bed, and when you wake up, grab it and jot down your thoughts. Try not to use your phone because you may get distracted by text and other notifications. Let’s go old school pen and paper. If you are not a morning person, use the time when you are in your car driving to and from work. Turn the radio off, turn the recorder on your phone, and start blabbing away. It’s okay to have your own therapy session many of us need it. We can also use this time to plan our days. We need to make sure we are in control of our time and that our time is not controlling us. When we operate like that, we can find ourselves feeling scattered and all over the place. A quote from an unknown person says, “Without structure, focus is impossible.” Everyone needs organization or structure in our lives. We spend 8 -10 hours at work, building other people's dreams, why not give 1-2 hours of our time to our dream. Sacrifice a little time in the morning or in the evening to make sure we keep our dreams alive. It is vitally important for us to fight our inner negative thoughts. Don’t allow negativity to go unchecked. Also, remove people that are not good for us. Even some of our jobs, if that job is not something you see yourself doing for the next ten years and you hate being there, use your scheduled quiet time to apply for new jobs. Don’t stay in a place that you hate. It does nothing, but tear you down and it’s not good for your soul. Today’s take-away’s: Schedule regular personal quiet time to reflect and meditate on the things we desire.Determine what is and is not important by reevaluating our schedule and the people around us. Combat negativity with positivity all the time. If disbelief is an issue for you say what you want to see until you believe it.Available via: Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Play, & iHeart RadioMusic by: silencekills See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To commemorate the unforgettable grace, power and wisdom of one of history's most empowering women !

Jon Ferrara is a successful serial entrepreneur, he's top 10 Social Service Salesperson according to Forbes and renown CRM pioneer with a knock for building authentic relationships with customers. Given his shared passion for creating genuine connections and making a positive impact on the lives of others, I believe he would be a very interesting guest for this podcast. And so, he's going to dive in and share with us some of the journeys that he's taken. He's going to share with us some of his core values building products that help others achieve their passion, plan, and purpose and we're going to identify what are those success indicators. Jon shared that he thinks our purpose on this planet is to help others grow and we do that by giving a little of value to one another. And through this conversation he hopes that we're able to add value to your audience and the people who listen.  Questions   Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey Could you share with us three things that you think help to really build a strong relationship? With things being so technologies, do you still believe that the human experience is still necessary? How do you stay motivated everyday? What is one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely cannot live without in your business? What are some of the books that have had the biggest impact on you in that journey of growth for yourself? What is the one thing in your life right now that you are really excited about – either something that you’re working on to develop yourself or people? Where can our listeners find you online? What’s one quote or saying that during times of adversity or challenge you revert to this quote to kind of helps you refocus and push forward? Highlights Jon stated that these are all great questions and it really starts with him in some respect his childhood. He grew up with his first computer when he was 16 years old in 1976 and through his journey of understanding technology and his passion for people and relationships, he found himself struggling in his first job in sales, trying to build connections and conversations that drive results and there was no contact management, there was no outlook, there was no CRM, there was no salesforce. In fact, there was no tool that integrated email contact and calendar with sales and more coordination. So, at 29 years old in 1989 he quit his job and he started a company called GoldMine and GoldMine was the first programme that integrated email connected calendar and team relationship platform, they were outlook and salesforce before either existed. He started the company on USD $5,000.00 in his apartment in Los Angeles and grew to about USD $100 Million Dollars in revenue. They're at about 10 million customers worldwide and he sold that when he was 40 years old and retired for 10 years and raised three babies and in that journey, in that experience of entrepreneurship but more importantly as a present father and husband, he came to really understand and value the gift he got of being able to be a present father and husband and how it helped him grow because he thinks if you're present with the people around you, they will reflect your weak points back at you and if you're willing to work on those in life you can grow as a human being. And he thinks that's what we're on this planet to do, is to grow our souls by helping other people grow theirs and the process of social media evolving in 2006, 2007, 2008, he started to use it and he saw it was going to change the way we work, buy and sell and he started looking for a relationship manager that integrated social and he couldn't find it. And then he started looking at CRM systems and he saw they really weren't about social media, they were really about or even relationships, they were really about reporting and commanding control and so he set out to build a new platform, a relationship manager that incorporated contact management and CRM and social sales and marketing and it would be different in the way it would be different is that you don't work for it, it works for you by building itself in the data you already have in your business and everybody has contacts and email and calendar as well as contacts and all kinds of business apps like customer service accounting, social media, sales and marketing. And it would derive the contacts by unifying them all together from all the disparate places from the separate departments so that the company would have a unified relationship manager so that no matter who picks up the phone they know who they're talking to, what's happened, who's done it, what's going to happen, who's going to do it, who is this person, what is your business about, so they could provide the optimal experience and most importantly to follow up and follow through and that that contact would be available to them in all the places that they work so that no matter who touches, no matter what you touch in a company in sales, in marketing and customer service, in accounting that everybody's on one page with that customer and in that you can provide the optimal experience. And so, we called it Nimble and so he seems to be back in the saddle in the relationship management game. Yanique stated, so you're basically able to have everything all under one roof allowing people to pull information from different sites and being able to connect and also it helps with the sales process. Jon agreed because he really believes that service is the new sales, that your job as a salesperson is to help other people grow and to do that you need to develop intimacy and trust with that person and so you need to build a connection, a relationship before you can ever get them to open up to you about their business issues which as a professional you can then solve. It's always easier to build a connection with somebody when you share some commonalities. So, you don't typically start a phone call with, “Did you sign the contract?”You start it by, “Good morning” “Good afternoon” “Good evening”how about, “How's the weather in Kingston today?”or some areas of commonality, if he was going to talk to you, he'd talk about some common experiences and he'd share that he saw Bob Marley play when he was 18 years old at UCLA Pauley Pavilion and it was the most wonderful experience he had ever had because he grew up listening to his music and he was inspired by his marching to a different drummer and teaching people to seek out truth in life and freedom and the struggles that people were going through around the world not just African-Americans and that it all unites us, this struggle and this desire for peace and freedom and we would connect on some area of commonality and then we'd dive into learning more about each other, finding ways to add value in business is secondary to all that. So business is just something that we do but friendships last a lifetime and they will get you through any business hiccup and in all businesses hiccups happen but if there's a relationship, there's a tendency for more empathy and more forgiveness and more gratitude in the connections and the interactions and that's really the philosophy behind Nimble, is that relationships are critical to your life’s success and that your network and your brand are so important to that success yet most of us don't really manage our golden Rolodex and Nimble is a tool not just for businesses but for every individual because every individual's life success will be through the connections and conversations, relationships that they develop too.   Jon shared that he thinks that a company's brand is built on the promises that it makes and the experiences that it delivers. And if you can align those two, you could build a goldmine and a lot of that experience is delivered to your customer facing team members and so you need to empower each of them to deliver optimal experience at the point of connection and conversation whenever they're interacting with the constituency and he says constituency because he thinks that most companies think about prospects and customers and they think about sales and marketing people but ultimately, there is a team of people at your company that's interacting with the constituency around your business and you need to unify all of these people into a team and to empower them to make decisions in favor of the customer. How many times have you gone into a business where we the people just say no that's just the way we do it, we can’t do it. So, he’s going to share an example of that. He was trying to send a gift to somebody who did something wonderful for him, it was a Microsoft team member, they did an interview with a Forbes writer and they talked about how Nimble has evolved into the simple CRM for Office 365 where Microsoft has actually recently Nimble with office globally through all their distributors and resellers and she gave this wonderful interview, she didn't have to do it, she's a very busy person and he wanted to do something special for her. So, he looked all over the Seattle area for a particular bottle of champagne, it's the champagne that he took to dinner when he proposed to his wife 30 years ago. And it's a special bottle to him and he only had it twice when he proposed to his wife and when they celebrated their anniversary 30 years later and so he found a store that had it and he spoke to the store manager he said, “Yes, I have it. I can send it, but you need to call our customer service phone number.”So, he called them, and they said, “Well, you could just go to the app and order it.”So, he went to the app and the app said it wasn't available, it wasn't in. So, he called back to customer service and they said, “Well, our systems don't allow us to sell when there's one bottle. We can only sell if there's more than one. The last one we can't sell online.”He spent four hours that day trying to get somebody to override the system and make a decision in his favor to actually ship the bottle. And they finally got somebody to do that after five hours with them and then when they went to send it, they couldn't deliver it, they could only FedEx it and then FedEx the next day wasn't able to deliver it because the door that FedEx went to was a secure door, they couldn't get through. And the whole process was so painful. And that's an example of a customer cutting their hand on the journey through your company and he thinks that to every customer that your business engages with the person they're talking to is the company, they need to empower team members to make decisions in favor of the customer and he thinks the Apple Store is an example of that. At Apple, he has rarely left the store unhappy, they typically take care of whatever he needs and they're empowered to make those decisions and so, from his experience in building two global technology brands, he thinks that you have to instill a desire of care, of empathy, of the team members to the constituency and he’s say that because it’s not just prospects and customers those influencers and resellers and other people at touch are involved the customer but they need to really care about the customer, the product, and the company and to be able to make decisions in the time that they're engaging with that person that leaves that person not only delighted so they come back and buy again but so that they drag their friends with them. Yanique stated, I have so many experiences myself as you describe, it's such a painful part of the journey that when you're finished you don't even want to have to call the company back again because when you think about the headache that they put you through it just deters you completely. So, as a business as you mentioned in your experience that it's important to map and to empower the employees. Empowerment is a very, very, big word and it can be a simple act if people know exactly what being empowered means. So, as a leader let's say you went to this wonderful leadership workshop and they brought in Jon and Jon spoke about empowerment and so these leaders go back to their organizations now and they're like, “Okay, I'm going to empower my team members.” What are some of the steps that empowerment entails because it's not just about going back and saying you're empowered there's more to it. Jon agreed and stated that some of it is empowering them to make decisions even when there's a policy in place that is set. So, he doesn’t think any process should be so rigid that the customer is left unhappy or unsatisfied in some way.Jon thinks that the customer may not always be right but they're always the customer, so, if you have to let a customer know that you can't do a particular thing, let them be wrong with dignity and respect. In other words, part of it is the way you communicate and the attitude that you have, and you felt it before, you could feel him on the phone right now and you feel that customer service person when they're communicating with you, that's why they put mirrors in front of customer service cubicles because people can feel your smile, people can feel your heart and soul. There's an energy that interacts between human beings and he thinks that you need to start by hiring people that have a positive energy, good human being, that are good cultural fit and you need to treat them good because if you don't treat the team members good, they're not going to be able to treat the customers constituency good. So, it starts with hiring great people and then building an amazing culture and then making sure that they're empowered to make decisions that leave the customer satisfied and that might even mean them recommending a competitor's product, it might mean making a slight change in a policy to facilitate a customer in that moment, it might mean taking the feedback from where customers are constantly cutting their fingers on their customer journey with you and making recommendations to change it. So, that connected to your customers journey that they're collecting feedback just like his journey with this liquor store that has a policy that says, “We don't sell the last bottle.”Why is that the policy, that doesn't need to be the policy, that policy could change, it changed by human being making the change and actually selling him the bottle but it could change further by changing the system itself. And so, he thinks it really starts with the people, but he also thinks that our world is getting so automated, it's getting so digitized and he thinks that the more digital we get, the more human we need to be, and it really takes a human touch to create that experienceand he’s going to share a human touch story. Jon asked Yanique if she has ever shopped at Nordstrom and if she likes shopping there? Yanique replied, it's not something that stands out like when I shop with Apple for example. It just seems like another department store they haven't done anything that really wows me. But yes, I've shopped in there before. Jon mentioned that one of the things that Nordstrom's does when you buy is, they wrap up your package in the bag and they walk around the counter and they hand you the package, what they're doing, and everybody's caught this. What they're doing is they're entering your space and creating a momentary connection and he thinks in this over connected, over communicated world a simple human connection can work magic and it's a simple gesture but it creates a more human experience as opposed to go to Macy's or someplace else May company but they basically literally fill the bag over the counter at you and that's a completely different experience than shopping at Nordstrom and it's the little things that add up to the ultimate experience. Jon thinks that companies that could instill more humanity in the interactions will stand out and he thinks that there's a lot of companies that do stand out in that experience, certainly Apple Store is one of them but even on a digital basis he thinks that there are companies that have created an experience that really wows him and he thinks Netflix is an example of that. They kind of revolutionized the way we get DVDs and it started with mailing them to you in the way that they did but he thinks their software creates an experience, it just makes it easy to find shows you like and to watch them easily and to catch up where you left off almost to the point where he thinks it's too easy to binge watch shows. Yanique agreed, they do make it easy and I love the fact that you say we should keep the human side of things because we actually did an interview last week with another guest for the podcast and that's one of the questions I had actually asked her which you tapped into before I even got an opportunity to ask is, with things being so technologized do you still believe that the human experience is still necessary and I mean from my perspective for example, let's take for example the IVR system when you call a company, press one for this and two for that and three for this. And I think at the end of the day when somebody calls whether they're making a request or they're making a complaint they really want to speak to a live human being when the phone rings one time without pressing three, four, five, six, seven and then being disconnected and have to do it all over again.   Jon agreed and stated, how about when they ask you to enter in your account number and you get to somebody and they ask you for your account number. It's little things like that. There's a lady named Maya Angelo who said, “People will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel.”and he really believes that, another friend of his Shep Hyken. He said, “The greatest technology in the world hasn't replaced the ultimate relationship building tool between a customer and a business, the human touch.”And so, he thinks that customer experience is the differentiator, it is the thing that will set you apart from your competitors and he thinks that the more businesses look at the entire journey that customers have with their business and to find that the more they'll grow, and the experience doesn't just happen when they're buying. He’ll tell you a journey out of him buying a TV set recently. So, he had a TV set that died, it was a Sony TV and it was the second Sony product that died, he had a receiver that died six months before. And so that was the trigger that started his journey and so he went and did a selection set of what he might consider and he didn't do that like going to the websites of the TV companies or even the stores, he started to look online and he read reviews of people that are like him or people that are trusted reviewers or advisers, people that review these things, third party people. He built a selection set and only then to actually go into a store because a TV set needs to be seen and then while looking at the TVs, he saw that Sony actually had the best picture, the best features, the best price and he ended up buying it even though he set out not to do that but after that buying, there was a post purchase experience where he kept looking at reviews because he want to make sure he had the made the right decision and he kept looking and he was using the TV and making sure it was the right thing. Jon then asked, “Have you ever done that after you bought something you continue to read reviews?” So that's the post purchase experience and it wasn't until you get to the point where you have decided that this is something that you really like that you essentially become an advocate and a whole lot of this that he’s talking about is documented in something called, “The McKinsey Customer Journey” and it's a PDF that you can put in this show notes that you can share with your audience. But there is a beautiful diagram that talks about the trigger, the initial consideration set, the active evaluation, the moment of purchase, the post purchase experience and then the loyalty loop. So now he’s in the loyalty loop where he now only tell other people how much he dig the Sony team but he bought two more and he has them in his house and that's what you want to do with your customers is to become a trusted advisor to that entire journey not just in the purchase experience, not just in the post purchase experience but to be involved in the loyalty loop by becoming a trusted advisor to inspire and educate them about how they might become better, smarter and faster because he thinks people don't buy great products, they buy better versions of themselves and that's what you want to be able to do is to communicate your brand story about how you put your customer at the center of that hero story and you can then not only get them to come back and buy from you but to drag their friends with them in the loyalty loop.   Jon shared that when he was 41 years old, a year after he sold GoldMine and he has been so blessed and successful in selling this large business and his second baby was born the day he sold the business and his life was blessed and he found that he had a head tumor and it was pretty serious, he had to do some very severe treatments and lost a lot of weight. He thinks you don't really value how great it is to be healthy until you're notand it caused him in the process of getting healed to really go on a spiritual journey and in the process of that he really developed a sense of gratitude and empathy towards others that he hadn't had as deeply in the past. And also, a sense of purpose of his life and that purpose is as he shared before that we're on this planet to grow our souls by helping other people theirs, that's it. And so, he does his best on a daily basis to be as present as he can with the people and places around him, to be mindful as much as he can and to try to give something of himself to anyone he’s interacting with even if it's just a smile because the person in front of you deserves your attention even if you're in the grocery line put your phone down and connect with that person for a moment, they're serving you and you need to connect with them. So, whenever he’s interacting with people especially customer service people even salespeople, he tries to connect with them and to just have a moment because we’re all human beings and we're all just doing our best, and so the thing that motivates him every day is that it's another day that he might connect with another human being, to learn enough about them that he might blow a little wind in their sales and when two humans connect there’s an energy that connects and he loves that energy, he loves that connection and he must share another story with you. So, the doctor that saved his life, his ear nose, and throat doctor, the one that found his tumor. He happens to be the ENT to the biggest stars, so he was Whitney's doctor Frank Sinatra’s doctor, Bono's and he also tweets ordinary people like him. He was walking out of his cubicle, the doctors shoving all those little rooms and he bump into this little man and he looked down and said, “Dang, you're Mick Jagger.”He didn't say that to Mick Jagger, but he thought it. And at the same time, he thought, “Gosh, your short and old.” And at the same time, he thought to himself, “Why does this guy get on an airplane 50 times, 100 times a year and go and do a show. He certainly doesn't need the money?.”He does it because he loves to dance with these other human beings, that he loves to give in what he gets is an energy. He gets empowered, he feeds on this. And so, Jon feeds on growing other human beings through the connections with them and he thinks that's all we leave this planet with is the moment we've been truly present with others and places around us and the ripples in the pond that we create through some type of connection and value-adding, so that's what gets him every day. Yanique stated, I mean it's just like music to my ears. I mean, it's so good to talk to someone who they're deeply connected with connecting with another human being because the reality is many of us go through our days in our businesses, in our personal lives and we are not present like fully present. I mean physically, our body is there but is our mind there, are we fully concentrating on the individual that is standing in front of us whether it's our child or significant other. And I'm guilty of it sometimes, I'm not going to lie, I'm going to stay here and tell you the truth. So, it's good to hear that you're really dedicated to being present, that's a reminder that you tell yourself every day because that's how you get up and push forward. Jon agreed and told Yanique that it's not her fault, our minds are like little puppies and you know how if you try to teach a puppy to sit and what does a puppy do, you tell to sit on the paper, stay and it goes and runs away, it would skip away and you have to like your mind and your thoughts because you're always thinking about the past or worried about the future instead of being present and that's your little puppy, your mind and it throw these thoughts at you. And so, you can get angry with yourself and say, “Well gosh, why wasn't I present with Yanique, I could have had a better experience. I was thinking about my mortgage or my wife,”whatever it is, you just with kindness say okay, come on back, just come on back and eventually if you learn to put a seat in the room in your mind to observe the thoughts that you have, focus on your breathing and learn to enable those thoughts to go by without getting caught on them because typically thoughts come and you get caught and you get strung away on this thought about the past or the present, if you could just learn how to do that on a daily basis and there is process to do that to meditation, you can learn to be more present and he actually recommend an app called Headspace that does that so you can load that on your phone and it’s free for the first lessons, practice with that, it has this thing where you do 3 minutes a day and he recently got back from a retreat in a place called Big Sur.If you ever come to California, you have to check out Big Sur it’s the coast of northern California and there's a retreat there called Esalen and it's where the native Americans, the Indians used to gathered for this hot spring and it's been there for 10,000 years and you go and he went to this mindfulness meditation retreat for 3 days and it gave him enough tools to get started with this, it's always been something he has been interested in, but he hasn’t made it a daily practice of meditation and mindfulness. So, he’s starting the new year with this to try to make that a daily practice and so he wanted to share that with you and maybe you might find that interesting and practice it yourself. Yanique then stated, I have heard of the concept of mindfulness, there are people here in Jamaica that I communicate with who actually practice it, but I've never actually engaged in it myself but I'm definitely going to check out Big Sur. I've been to LA once, I used to be a Flight Attendant with Air Jamaica, which was our national airline before I started my company. And I spent a Christmas and New Years in LA and unfortunately because we were laying over for such a short period of time, I didn't really get to enjoy the city that much, but I would definitely return for sure. Jon shared that if you are interested in exploring mindfulness, that app Headspace is a really easy way to try it out and he highly recommend that you load that on your phone in and give it a whirl.   When asked about the one online tool that he uses every day, Jon stated that he thinks we all live where we're communicating with other people and that's your inbox but for him, he loves to inspire and educate other people on a daily basis because he thinks that's our purpose in life is to add value to other people's journey. So, he curate content on a daily basis that is in and around the areas of his passion, plan and purpose in life, not just his business stuff, but his personal as well because he thinks that people connect to your heart and soul as much as they connect to your business passions. And then he shares that content on a daily basis. Think of it as dropping fishing lures into the social river around your business to begin connections and conversations that ideally results in relationships. And so, the tool that he uses to queue up content is a tool called Buffer Buffer app enables him to take whatever he’s reading and to share it across his personal and professional identities and he thinks that the biggest struggle that most business people have, whether they're individuals or a business itself, is to be seen because if you aren't seen, then people won’t think of you. And there was an actress who happened to be an entrepreneur, her name was Mae West. She said, “Out of sight is out of mind and out of mine is out of money and honey.” So, you need to be seen to be considered and how many times have you walked by a business and looked in the door and somebody sitting there behind the counter and God forbid on their phone and there's nobody in the shop, you've ever seen that? It breaks his heart because he knows how much it costs to open a store and to pay the rent. What about people? He thinks that your network is your net worth, you branding your network will help you achieve your dreams, yet most people don't really manage the brand in the network effectively.And what he’s talking about is sharing content on a daily basis will help you to build your brand and your network personally or professionally or for your company and so I use buffer to do that but the most important advice he has in regards to content is engagement because imagine if you're dropping fishing lures, which is content, to connections, conversations in the river and somebody bites on it if you don't pull the hook, if you don't wheel it in, then it's just pointless because you're not fully finishing the process and so you need to respond to people responding to you and start conversations and the conversations shouldn't be about your products and services, it should be about how you might add value to that person and if you enter into every connection and conversation with the attempt to serve that other human being, then you can't but help succeed in life because another great that he loves, Zig Ziglar said, “The more people you help achieve their dreams, the more you will achieve your dreams.”He tries to give his knowledge away on a daily basis, so people see him as a trusted advisor, so when they need his products or services, they pick up the phone and call him and drag their friends with them.   Jon shared that there's one book he read early on which was a book called Siddhartha: A Novel and it's the book of Buddha's journey. It had an impact on him in regard to seeking your own truth. Another one was a book by Thoreau Walden, and it taught him to march to his own drummer and he thinks that if he hadn't marched to his own drummer as a young man that he probably wouldn't have retired at 40 years old. But then beyond that, there's a book called Think and Grow Rich: or Men and Women who Resent Poverty by Napoleon Hill that taught him to figure out what his passion, plan and purpose in life, which is what is your passion? Are you building a plan to achieve it? Are you making it your purpose on a daily basis? And that's what enabled him to build Goldmine. Another book is Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries because ultimately a perception is reality and you need to be able to build a brand and create the perceptions in people's heads, so people see you and your company and your business and then How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie, because ultimately relationships are key to life.   Jon shared with us his journey on mindfulness and meditation, it really helps him to focus. The other thing is his relationship with Microsoft, which is really incredible and if you think about it, Microsoft is a huge company with billions of customers and hundreds of thousands of resellers and to have evolved their platform as the simple CRM for office where Microsoft signed a resell agreement and is selling Nimble globally through their distributors and resellers to the customers as a bundle with office, and how they become strategic to not only help sell office and make it sticky, but also as a gateway to Azureand dynamics was quite a feat that took their team years to build the relationships. And interestingly enough, it parallels the journey of Goldmine, so Goldmine started, they were able to start that without any venture capital or any bank loans because they figured out who is the trusted advisor for their customer and back in the day it was the Novell reseller. Now you may not remember Novell, Novell was the network operating system that businesses use to tie together their PCs and hard drives and printers and to share a network business applications. There was no Microsoft network operating system or even windows back in the day. So, businesses used Novell and we were a network application to ride on top of that when they got the Novell resellers to use Goldmine and then start reselling it, but then Microsoft came out with anti-servers, sequel server, an exchange server and they hate Novell and we basically partnered with Microsoft by requiring a GoldMine license, a license of anti-server, sequel server, exchange server, and thereby becoming strategic to Microsoft as well as solving our customers' needs of a more scalable business solution and that's how they got to USD $100,000,000.00 in. Interestingly enough, history is repeating itself because they started with Gmail, Gsuite which was the Novella, but if you have PCs and you want to tie them together in the cloud. You started with Gmail and Gsuite, office wasn't there, office 365, but Microsoft came out with office 365 and when they saw the writing on the wall, they built integrations with that and have basically replicated becoming strategic with Microsoft's Office 365 with Nimble the way that Goldmine became strategic with anti-server and sequel server and he thinks that if you understand history, you could understand the present and more easily predict the future. And he thinks it's because of his experience in the past that he was able to see the writing on the wall and to be able to leverage Microsoft in this new era. Yanique stated, we just crossed over ourselves. We hosted with GoDaddy and they now sell their products with office 365 integration and it was actually a very easy migration and I actually prefer the interface, I was a bit hesitant when they said, office 365 because I'm a Mac user but it works brilliantly with my iPhone and it syncs across all devices. And if I send an email from my phone, I'll see the same sent message from my MacBook Pro or the same sent message from my iPad. So, I don't have any issues with it, I'm actually quite pleased, it's operating better than the platform that GoDaddy had before this integration with Office 365. Jon stated that before GoDaddy sold IMAP email and before IMAP was pop, these are protocols and most of your listeners today have as their email server, pop or imap, or Gmail or Gsuite or iCloud and maybe a combination of all those things, but ultimately you need a cloud based solution that unifies emailed contacting calendar into a thing that can synchronize across phones, iPads and computers and desktops and both Gsuite and office do that. But he thinks Microsoft has the edge because we all grew up with MS Excel and MS Word and we used to that and so it's easy to sort of pick office because it comes with those things and works well with those things. But there's even better reasons for the office in the future, if we think about traditional businesses, they have servers in closets and those servers, have to be updated with the software and firewalls to protect them and he thinks that there isn't a business today that isn't, hasn't been hacked or won't be hacked if they continue to try to manage all their own IT and that most businesses are going to the cloud. It started with moving their exchange and outlook to the cloud with office, but soon all the other servers well in Azure is a great place for your business systems in the future and that's why they're just so excited to partner with them and in fact GoDaddy is a Nimble customer, they use it for their influencer, marketing, outreach and engagement and they're actually talking to them about bundling Nimble with their office solution sales, when they sell you a domain, they sell you office, the next thing they'll sell you on top of that will be Nimble. Yanique shared, I love GoDaddy, their customer service is amazing, totally amazing and one of the things I love about them from day one, when I started this company was when you call them, you can actually get a live person. I remember a couple of years ago I had redone my website and the web developer, even though I recommended that he use GoDaddy, you chose to use a different company, I think it was Blue Host or something, but I had an issue with the website and when I tried to call Blue Host, apparently they don't have a telephone number, so you have to go into a live chat and one of the most frustrating things that you could ever do to me is send me to a chat room for me to explain to you in words what I could have done if I was talking to you in a voice call. I find it way more stressful to sit down and type out my issue than if I could just explain it to you verbally and I think I spoke with them maybe twice and I just closed the account and I moved everything over to GoDaddy. I don't know why he didn't take my recommendation in the first place, but it was extremely frustrating, that's another issue I have with Magic Jack to this day. I don't understand if they're a telecommunication company and they provide services for people to call people all over the world, why don't they have an actual phone number when you're having an issue with your Magic Jack? Jon stated that that brings us full circle to customer journey and experience that we need the human touch because it's just so much more effective and personal.   Jon shared listeners can find him at – Twitter – @Jon_Ferrara Website –www.nimble.com Code: Jon40 for 40% to sign up for Nimble   Jon shared a quote, “This too shall pass.”He really believes that life is like a Beethoven symphony, that there are high and there's low notes and that you can't really value the high notes without the low notes and that all of those notes will pass, so don't get too connected to the highs in your life because they won't last forever and don't be so worried about the lows in your life because they won’t last forever too. And he thinks you could learn more from struggles than you can from successes. And so, life is like a Beethoven symphony, don't let whatever is happening to you bother you too much. This too shall pass, you could learn so much from those moments in your life and he thinks that the biggest cause of pain or suffering is grasping onto highs or resisting or averting low's, and if you just accepted them both as part of your journey, that you will be more balanced and happier in your life.   Links   Nimble The McKinsey Customer Experience Headspace Buffer Siddhartha: A Novel by Hermann Hesse Think and Grow Rich: or Men and Woman who Resent Poverty by Napoleon Hill Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie  

Prior to going on this journey, a decade ago, I’ve always though your attitude drove everything. Good or bad it would dictate your day, your week, your life. However, I don’t think I really understood how powerful it can be, and, our ability to determine it. Where does it come from? Your mindset, conditioning, beliefs, standards, teachings? Today’s episode, we dig into this more. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelo

Episode 4 like every other episode was created to evoke thought. What does accountability mean for your life? Maya Angelo said it best " We do what we do according to what we know at the time , when we know better we do better" or do we ?  

This week we talk about a lot of topics such as sexual assault, was maya Angelo a prostitute??, NBA talk, Football predictions,Slap nut of the week, Naz talks eatting smelly p**** and much more

In this episode the crew talks about their view on having the best perspective on life. We cover topics that range from beliefs, mood swings, reactions, our mindsets and much more. We wrap the episode up with quotes from Maya Angelo & Dale Carnegie.

This episode honors Dr. Maya Angelo for her 90th birthday. It also remembers Dr. King for the fiftieth anniversary of his death as well as Winnie Mandela on her death at 81.  Finally we have an interview of play write and author Tarik Daniels as we talk about his upcoming book "No Bond So Strong" and discuss the Intersectionality of Race Religion and Human Identity.  To become a patron of this program go to www.patreon.com/speakingthetruth/creators. For instant coaching or counseling contact me at https://www.instantgo.com/anthonywaynebrow Via text, voice or video chat.

This episode with Yanique Grant, she will be speaking a lot about Customer Experience and one of the brand that she absolutely love and adore. Today is going to be another solo episode; she will start it off a little differently by sharing a quote by one of her favorite people, Maya Angelo. Maya says, “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It so important in every interaction that we have whether it’s face to face, whether it’s over the telephone, whether it’s an internet base connection, that we really aim to ensure that when people finish interacting with us they feel good because sometimes they won’t remember exactly what you said verbatim, they probably will not remember all the specifics of what you did but they are going to remember how the experience or that interaction made them feel, so we should always aim to ensure that our customers feel good after interacting with us.   Highlights You are probably wondering, “What is this brand that Yanique is speaking about?” The brand is Apple, for those of you who knows her personally, who listens to her podcast, you will know that she is an avid Apple user, owner of a MacBook Pro, owner of an Ipad, owner of an Iphone, loves Apple absolutely and you’ll always hear her say, “Once you go Mac, you just don’t go back.” She is going to speak about some of the things that Apple has done to really create that magic formula, what are they doing in their stores and how can you take out some of the things that they are doing and inject into your own business. It is said that Apple makes US$5,000.00 per square foot on their customer experience and that is really amazing, when you compare that to other brands, Apple is performing like the brand Tiffany, the jewelry place, so there is no reason Apple should have all the fun or all the revenue because you can do exactly what they are doing, you just need ensure that you are doing the right things at the right time. Anyone can emulate Apple success in retailing by using the same principles of great customer service and customer experience. The first tip that we are going look at that Apple really emulate in their business is: They focus on Getting the first moments right with every customer. The first moments a customer spends with a business can disproportionately affect how the customer remembers the entire encounter. Because of the way human memory works, if you get off to a bad start with a customer, it’s hard to recover, while if you do a spectacular job in those first few minutes, it’s a lot easier to coast to the finish line. Apple therefore strives to make sure your first few moments in the store go well. There are two discrete elements to Apple’s success here: Most visibly, they post friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable greeters near the front doors, whom she as experienced herself whether it’s in Florida or Minnesota or New York or Chicago, every time she goes to an Apple Store, regardless of the location, she is greeted by someone who is friendly, they are enthusiastic and they are knowledgeable and they are right there at the first point of contact. The only task for the shepherd is to tell you where you need to go and help you avoid the potential disorientation and stress that could otherwise be induced by the bustling store environment because their store is always packed. To take this a step further (or backward), they encourage you, well before you get to the store, to assist in creating a successful entrance experience by pre-scheduling your visit via the Apple Store App and that is just amazing. If Apple succeeds in getting you to do this, it means that when you get to the Apple Store the greeter can even more easier to interact with to get you to where you want to go. That’s step number one that they are definitely doing differently from their competitors. Apple also Respects their customers’ time. The Apple Store app and Apple online scheduling options not only help reduce the initial stress of arriving at the Apple Store, they ensure that a customer’s visit makes efficient, productive use of the customer’s time. If a customer wants help with diagnosing a flicker in their MacBook Pro screen and only has 45 minutes to spend on the errand, there’s a good chance they can make it in and out of the store within that time frame. Does your business respect your customers’ time? Customers today are busy people, often working unusual schedules, and they appreciate those businesses that treat their time with consideration. The next big thing that Apple is doing is they are Hiring employees who have the right personality traits for customer service. In almost any electronics retail store, the people selected for employment are enthusiastic about technology, and the fanboys and fangirls who work at the Apple Store are no different. But Apple doesn’t think this is enough. They strive to hire prospective employees who are also good, empathetic listeners. The reality is that in this age of consumer skepticism, a business is not going to succeed by giving a hard sell. Providing great customer service, in fact, is as close to selling as the Apple Stores get. We are not sure how many of you are listening to this episode are familiar with the book, How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, that book is a book that Yanique believes that every business owner, every sales person, every customer service person, every person in life should read that book at least once or twice per year because the book focuses on so much on developing your personality, understanding people, ensuring that you have the right personality traits, ensuring that are being quality human being by listening effectively when you’re conversations with people. When they’re thinking about hiring, you need to think to yourself, “Are you systematically hiring the employees who are most likely to succeed with your customers?” It’s very important for you to really focus on that thought, that’s a question you need to ask yourself each time you hire a new employee for your business. The next thing that Apple does is they Train and train again. It’s not enough to hire employees with potential. Success with customers requires top-notch customer service training. This should start at orientation and continue at intervals throughout the employee’s career with the company. To take just one Apple example, employees are trained, right at orientation, that a successful customer engagement depends on deploying Apple’s systematic process (APPLE stands for: Approach-Probe-Present-Listen-End), and they are trained in how to tailor this formula to the individual customer. An employee can’t be expected to wing it here; training and re-training are what’s called for. Does your business invest in customer service training annually, semi annually, quarterly, monthly? Are you looking for opportunities to constantly injecting these people with the DNA that they need to succeed in every customer service experience that they have over the phone, through your social media, face to face? Because if that’s not what you’re doing then you’re not going to succeed. It’s essential, from employee onboarding through periodic reinforcement to larger-scale training workshops. As a customer service speaker, trainer, and consultant herself, this is where she risk sounding self-serving, but she would stand behind the importance of methodical, repeated customer service training even if she had no dog in the fight here. Another big thing that Apple does that sets them apart from their competition is they Streamline. One of the great innovations of the Apple Store is its innovative and unwavering devotion to streamlining: removing everything that could get in the way of a customer’s engagement with Apple’s products and its helpful employees. In an Apple store, there’s a notable absence of cash registers, paper receipts, or anything else to clutter up the experience. This isn’t just an aesthetic choice; it provides clarity of mind for customers and employees about the purpose of the Apple Store customer experience. So, once a purchase decision has been made, or a repair is determined to be required, there’s nothing in the way of making the purchase or repair happen: no forms in duplicate, no waiting in line for a single cash register. These people walk around with devices in their hand that kind of looks like an Ipad and they are able to cash you out exactly where you’re standing, exactly where you’re interacting with them. It is so hassle free, the question you need to ask yourself about your own business is are you streamlining your customer experience? Doing so is almost certain to pay off in improved customer satisfaction–and, if it makes purchases easier, in immediate financial results as well. Even though the 5 concepts that we have given you here that Apple is using, let’s recap. One is Get the first moments right with every customer, second is to Respect your customers’ time, third is to Hire employees who have the right personality traits for customer service, forth is to Train and train again and fifth is to Streamline. If you follow these steps, even though they are very straightforward, implementing them in a way that works for your business is where your understanding of what makes your business unique must come into play. She is not trying to turn you into a cookie cutter replica of an Apple Store, or of any other successful business. The goal is to keep “you” you, but in a way that gets the non-you out of the way of delighting your customers. Apple actually invented almost none of these concepts; they borrowed them most visibly in fact from the hospitality methods of great 5 star hotels. But by putting them into play in a very Apple way, they now seem to be an organic part of the Apple brand. She encourages you to go forth in your businesses this week, this month, look at your team members, look at your recruitment processes, look at how you’re streamlining, are you training and training, are you being pound foolish and dollar wise? But you really need to ensure that you are making sure that your spend is quality because if you invest in the development of your organization through your people and through your processes and through how you streamline and how the experience goes for your customers, what does that journey look like for them, is it one that is seamless, is it one that is hassle free, is it one that delight them then guarantee that you’re going to see lots of dollar signs at the end of each experience that your customers have with you and the good thing is, they’ll go out and become evangelist of your business, so you can actually use some of that money that your using for marketing advertising and reinvest into making that delight a repeat experience for your customers.   Links How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Heineken Recruitment YouTube Video

This week on the show, Taylor and Carter record the episode while doing 80 mph on the Interstate, completing the last few miles of the epic, month-long, 15 state, 29 client tour. They reflect on what they learned, and share some of the experiences with you. Don't miss this episode! Show Notes [15:32] Maya Angelo quote: “Words are things. You must be careful, careful about calling people out of their names, using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance. Don’t do that. Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally in to you.” [25:21] Q&A Lightning Round [29:02] GIT Nation Facebook Group [29:40] Suggestions? Email us! [29:52] Spark Marketer