Wisdom of Friends with Kal Aras

Season 10 - Think Bigger with Olympian Champ Lina Taylor- Episode 94 Nov 10, 2020

When life doesn’t hand you opportunities, you create them. Think Bigger Lina has never stepped away from a challenge and inspires others to face the impossible and experience unprecedented success. At just age 14, growing up in communist Bulgaria, she realized that her future lay in earning a scholarship to an American university. Undeterred by the overwhelming political and social challenges, Lina pioneered a way for countless other student athletes to achieve the same dream. After graduating as an Academic All-American with a degree in Biology, Lina turned to beach volleyball in pursuit of her Olympic dream. In mere months, Lina climbed from the bottom of the ranking to represent her home country at the Olympics. Lina and her sister played at both Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. Since then, Lina has pursued her post sport career with equal passion and determination. This resulted in her launching an international company, guiding student athletes to achieve their goals by learning crucial skills for success at the next level. She also works with former elite athletes and Olympians, helping them find success in the business arena

Season 10 - From Boardroom to Bobsled with Olympian Lauren Gibbs - Episode 93 Aug 04, 2020

Lauren Gibbs is a bobsled brakewoman who has been on the U.S. national team since the 2014-15 season. In her Olympic debut at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, Gibbs earned silver with pilot Elana Meyers Taylor. Gibbs has also earned 2016 world championships bronze and 14 world cup medals. Follow her journey to the 2022 Winter Games on Instagram and Twitter.

Season 10 - Achieving your best self with 2 time Olympian Jillian Vogtli - Episode 92 Aug 04, 2020

Born from a cumulation of my skills as an Olympic Athlete, my love of fitness, coaching, Shamanic training and teaching while working with clients worldwide in helping them to step into their highest and best selves and lastly as a student of life. I have a holistic view on fitness, health and overall wellbeing (healing). While my coaching style works with the conscious mind, much of the healing work I offer works patterns, new life skill while working with the subconscious mind to identify and easily release out grown patterns, beliefs, and imbalances that ripples throughout our lives. In turn, real change happens which is that of standing in our truth, our power and our passions. – Jillian Vogtli

Show Notes:

Website, Linked In, Social Media

Pearl of India |2020 President's Medal & National Award Winner for Children| Peal Colvalcar Aug 04, 2020

Pearl Milind Colvalcar was recently honored with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2020 (President’s Medal - National Award Winner for Children 2020) by President of India Ram Nath Kovind, for her excellence in sports. The 13-year-old student is a champion at sailing – skiff and windsurfing – and aims to represent India at the Asian level in near future.

“Skiff sailing is not known to many. It is heart-warming to see Pearl Milind Colvalcar excel in this unique area. Interacting with her, I got to know that she has also won the “Youngest Sailor” Award at a sailing event in Hyderabad”. ~ Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India congratulating Pearl Colvalcar

Season 10- Olympic Gold Medalist|Professional Speaker & Mentor for Young Athletes|Breeja Larson: Episode 91 Jul 10, 2020

Breeja Larson is an American competition swimmer who specializes in the breaststroke, and is an Olympic gold medalist. She earned a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Larson was born in Mesa, Arizona, one of seven sisters. She later moved to Boise, Idaho where she attended Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho for three years and graduated from Mountain View High School in Mesa in 2010. She swam for the Centennial Patriot and Mountain View Toros high school swim teams. As a senior, she was the state runner-up in the 100-yard breaststroke. She also lettered in softball and track and field. She attended Texas A&M University, where she swam for the Texas A&M Aggies swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2011 to 2014. As a freshman, she finished second in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke at the 2011 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships; as a sophomore in 2012, she was the NCAA national champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, and finished third in the 200-yard event. She was a senior during the 2013–14 school year. She also graduated from Titans of Investing, A&M Class 19

Show Notes:

Breeja Larson Linked In, Instagram

Season 9 - Self Care Sanctuary with Michelle Dalbec - Episode 87 Jul 08, 2020

Michelle Dalbec, E-RYT 500, is a passionate professional level teacher and educator. Michelle hosts educational and experiential yoga programs, delivers dynamic and motivational workshops, and directs professional teacher trainings all over the country. She teaches with the intention to inspire authentic alignment, expression, and movement. Whether she’s teaching restorative yoga or vigorous vinyasa, meditation or conscious communication, she leads with an inquiry based approach that empowers students to realize their full potential and individuality. Michelle believes that yoga is for everyone, a life-long journey of self-discovery and growth both on and off the mat.

Michelle feels it’s her passion and purpose to educate people about everything yoga so they can use the tools of yoga to create a wholehearted life.

Show Notes:

Website, Blog, Resources

Season 9 ~ Mindful Leadership with Holly Duckworth - Episode 86 Jul 08, 2020

Holly Duckworth, CAE, CMP, LSP is a trailblazing keynote speaker and applied mindful leadership advisor. As a contributor to the New York Times, Producer/Host of the Everyday Mindfulness Show, and columnist to countless industry publications she works with stressed-out leaders to create, peace, presence, and profits. Holly’s career began in the world of non-profits and volunteer leadership teaching thousands of association staff and volunteers how to “reboot” for success. Today she takes the best of her strategic vision expertise, blends it with mindful leadership practices and her event background to curate experiential events that change hearts, minds and companies. Our world has become mind less. Thru mindfulness training Holly works with you to know what mindfulness is, what it is not. Then apply your mindfulness techniques to produce more productive and profitable organizations.

Holly’s was named Meetings Today 2018 Trend Setter for her applied mindfulness work and 2016 Smart Meetings Woman of the Year. Holly’s current book Mindful Leadership: The Stress-Free Guide to leadership is a best seller and her award-winning book Ctrl+Alt+Believe: Reboot Your Association For Success has won two national awards. Holly believes mindfulness builds leaders and organizations that work for everyone.

Show Notes:

Website, Blog, Resources

Season 9 - Brilliant Branding worthy of going viral with Melanie Asher - Episode 85 May 24, 2020

Melanie earned her Executive MBA at the University of Washington, Foster School of Business. As a powerful national speaker speaking on topics about brand building, customer experience, generational marketing, and social media. She is the founder and president of Omicle LLC, a brand experience firm and Brand or Culture, a publishing company. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two children, a four-legged cat and a two legged son. She loves to hike, experiment in the kitchen, and dance.

Show Notes:

Website, Blog, LinkedIn

Season 9 - The Power of Gratitude with David Brooke - Episode 84 May 24, 2020

David George Brooke – That Gratitude Guy, has been a speaker, coach, and bestselling author for over 25 years. His published works include “The Brooker’s Daily Gratitude Journal”, “Six Word Lessons to Embrace Gratitude”, and a number of other books on gratitude.

Show Notes: Website, Books, Coaching

Season 9 - The new rules of engagement in a multigenerational marketplace with Anna Liotta - Episode 83 May 12, 2020

Anna Liotta, creator of Generationally Savvy™ Communication Solutions, is an award-winning speaker, business consultant, and author. She engages audiences with her practical strategies for attracting, growing, and retaining top talent and loyal clients from every generation.

Anna integrates communications, sociology, business psychology, and demography to unify workplaces and dramatically improve company performance. Her expertise and insight have helped such companies as Pike Place Market, Intel, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Amazon, the PGA, NBA, and United Way.

Show Notes: Website, Book , Blog

Season 9 - Connect the dots with multiple Emmy award winner Bill Stainton ~ Episode 82 Apr 14, 2020

Bill Stainton is a multiple Emmy Award-winning TV producer, writer, and performer; an author; a business humorist; and an internationally-recognized Beatles expert. He blends the business smarts he learned from twenty years in corporate management with the show biz sparks he garnered from working with people like Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, and Bill Nye the Science guy to create entertaining and enlightening presentations enjoyed by audiences around the world!

As the executive producer of Seattle’s legendary comedy TV show Almost Live!, Bill led a talented and highly creative team to unparalleled success: a #1 rating for ten straight years, and over 100 Emmy Awards (29 of which went to Bill). At the same time, he also owned his own corporate training company, authoring nine training programs in subjects ranging from Office Politics to Customer Service to Team Motivation. He’s been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, and is a regular columnist for Seattle Business magazine.

From Maine to Malaysia, Bill is committed to helping his audiences achieve their highest potential— while maintaining a sense of fun along the way!

Show Notes:

Website, LinkedIn Producing Results Blog

Season 9 - The Philosophy of Appropriateness with Elevia DeNobelia and Syl Sabastian - Episode 81 Apr 13, 2020

Elevia DeNobelia

Elevia is like an Alice in Wonderland; a perpetual explorer. Her curiosity informs and instigates her journey.

Elevia’s origins lie in simple but sublime beginnings. In the midst of what others would describe as trying circumstances, she made the most of her wonderful family life, developing a solid foundation of sturdy character. A focus she has spent her life extending and refining.

From unusual relationships, living in a desert without electricity and running water and no close neighbours, having restaurants, one on top of a mountain, close interactions with a tribe of Bushmen, owning and running retail stores, to leaving it all behind to start over on a new continent with many attendant adventures too numerous to mention, Elevia’s perpetual focus on learning and growth has served her well. Always everything to her was all under the umbrella focus of Self-Discovery and the Application of her continual learning. Each circumstance and situation adding volumes to her personal story and internal growth.

Ever the lover of knowledge and personal development, Elevia set about engaging the world with the totality of her being. Everything she does, has done, has that component of developing and furthering her Awareness, Discernment and Understanding.

Syl Sebastian

A Philosopher-Writer focusing on the Application of a comprehensive Practical-Personal-Philosophy. Creator of: The Philosophy of Appropriateness

From age 10, on the day he literally exploded a light-bulb, Syl Sabastian’s acute life-long love affair with Understanding began. Since then his focus on, and love of Awareness, or more accurately his struggle with non-awareness, has never let-up.

An intense reader in his youth, Syl absorbed over a book a day, including the classics read in chronological order, culminating in extensive science-fiction/fantasy/speculative reading. After transitioning to Applying and Living his philosophies, Appropriately, with Attunement the ever-present motivation and catalyst, it all morphed in time to an earnest propensity to write and communicate.

Syl and His Heart have owned restaurants, stores, online businesses, and travelled the world, while implementing and enjoying their life-perspectives of which he writes so deeply. As Biella is so fond of saying, "and there's More..."

Often offering multiple sides of an argument, he provokes self-introspection. His aim is to uncover Appropriateness, Awareness, Attention, Application, Attunement, and more, with a unique, high-level understanding of the profound intricacies that interlace these concepts

Show Notes:

Website Programs, Courses Workshops Facebook Group:

Season 8- Cathy Fyock - Your possibility partner and book strategist - 80 Apr 22, 2019

Cathy Fyock is is Your Possibility Partner, providing you with the intensive support you need to get your book DONE. She is the author of eight published books and several forthcoming books, six workbooks, four e-learning modules, chapters in four books, website tool kits, as well as hundreds of articles, blog posts, white papers, and newsletters, and has mastered the art of getting a book on paper quickly, and then using her speaking and writing to generate revenue streams and create new business opportunities. She leads her own consulting/coaching/speaking practice and has been a member of the National Speakers Association for more than 20 years. Cathy has been a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) since 1993.

Prior to this new direction, Cathy has been an Employment Strategist, combining her knowledge of work force issues and her talents as a speaker, consultant and author to inspire business leaders to attract and engage top talent and improve productivity in an aging and changing workplace. She has worked as the leader of her own firm—Innovative Management Concepts—for more than 20 years, and has been a consultant with several national/regional consulting practices.

She has consistently used her writing skills to promote her business, build credibility, create powerful revenue streams, and establish herself as a thought-leader. While never picked for the high school newspaper or seen as a “writer” by any of her teachers, she consistently uses writing to build her business, and to help other speakers, consultants, and small business owners use writing to meet their business objectives.

Cathy helps aspiring consultants through her webinars and coaching programs, and supports small business owners, consultants and speakers in leveraging speaking and writing to build their businesses through a variety of services, including her books, webinar programs, one-on-one and group coaching programs, and consulting.

Show Notes -

Cathy Fyock - Website

Book Recommendations - Here

Cathy’s Credo and Writer’s Pledge - Here

Season 8 - Your sacred wealth code with Prema Lee Gurreri -79 Apr 22, 2019

Prema Lee Gurreri is committed to creating a world where everyone is empowered to live according to their soul blueprint: on purpose, in a way that is aligned with their high-value gifts and their birthright of true wealth.

Prema guides and teaches entrepreneurs, visionaries, and change agents to lead with their unique, divine gifts and talents, and fully align with their purpose and passion to create wealth for themselves and the world simply by being who they are and doing what they love to do.

Our souls already know what we are supposed to do to create wealth and make our impact. Prema reveals your Soul Success Map™ and helps you unlock your Sacred Wealth Code® to discover your unique, divine gifts and talents. With these, you can find and engage in a conscious business where you will thrive.

Prema believes that our core purpose is to be true to ourselves so we can claim our power and wholeness and manifest wealth in our own unique and meaningful ways. When we do what we are uniquely great at―rather than what we are merely good at―we invoke the power of our soul blueprint and our divine birthright. She created her Soulutionary® programs and services to empower clients to lead lives poised at the intersection of prosperity and purpose, and live from the hearts of their Sacred Wealth Codes.

Show Notes -

Prema’s Website - Here

Books - Here

LinkedIn Profile - Here

Season 8 - The Enneagram Expert - Herb Pearce - Episode 78 Apr 22, 2019

Herb Pearce, M.Ed., is one of the most knowledgeable and skilled teachers of the Enneagram today. He has taught well over 2000 Enneagram workshops, trainings and presentations to the public and to hundreds of organizations. Having vast experience working as a psychotherapist using this system, Herb Pearce has worked with hundreds of individuals and couples to understand and communicate well to all types of people. He leads team building trainings in companies, is a public speaker, workshop presenter and personal life coach and author of 6 books.

The Enneagram explains 9 different personality types or styles and how each type experiences the world in a very unique way. Having this knowledge is a lifesaver in terms of understanding yourself, understanding the major filter in which others see the world, and learning how to relate to others in ways that are much more effective. You’ll learn the 9 types, discover your type, and gain the knowledge to relate effectively to each of the 9 types. Herb’s teaching style is entertaining, informative and crystal clear.

Show Notes -

Herb Pearce Books and Website - Here

Contact and Sign up for Herb’s Email Newsletter that includes positive tips - Here

Herb’s Media Page - Here

Herbs Workshops and Events - Here

Season 8 - The art of communication and language of leadership with Patricia Fripp - Episode 77 Mar 19, 2019

When your message must be memorable, your presentation powerful, and your sale successful, call Patricia Fripp. One of the few professional speakers who can transform the presentation skills of others, she is an executive speech coach and sales presentation skills trainer. Kiplinger's Personal Finance wrote that one of the best investments you can make in your career is Patricia Fripp’s presentation skills training. Patricia simplifies and demystifies the process of preparing and presenting powerful, persuasive presentations. She delivers her message through keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and in-depth customized training and coaching. Patricia is now virtually everywhere with FrippVT, her interactive, learn-at-your-own-pace, virtual presentation skills training. Named “One of the 10 most electrifying speakers in North America” by Meetings and Conventions magazine, Patricia delivers high-content, entertaining, dramatically memorable presentations. She has won and been awarded these designations by the National Speakers Association: Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), CPAE, Hall of Fame keynote speaker, and the Cavett Award (considered the Oscar of speaking). Patricia is a past president, and the first female president, of the over 3,500-member National Speakers Association. She is a member of the highly prestigious Speakers Roundtable, an invitation-only group of highly regarded professional speakers, authors, and consultants. Patricia teams up with her brother, legendary guitarist of King Crimson, Robert Fripp, for Fripp and Fripp presentations on “How to Be a Hero for More Than One Day” and “Beginner to Master.” She is the author of Make It So You Don't Have to Fake It! and Get What You Want! and co-author of Speaker's Edge, Speaking Secrets of the Masters and Insights Into Excellence. Fripp Virtual Training’s Powerful, Persuasive Presentations is a multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art, web-based training platform that emulates live training and coaching. It is almost as if Patricia Fripp were sitting right there with you. Join FrippVT.

Season 8 - Transform your self-expression with Andrew Prokopis - Episode 76 Mar 19, 2019

Andrew Prokopis is a licensed and practicing clinical psychologist in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and California. He also provides professional and life coaching to clients. He has a wide-range of formal education and professional trainings. In addition, he has many years of practicing meditation and studying various mindfulness approaches. He has offices in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and provides services in-person, on the telephone, and through video-conferencing.

Season 8 - Staying Power with Cara Silletto - Episode 75 Feb 17, 2019

Workforce thought leader Cara Silletto, MBA, works with organizations of all sizes to reduce unnecessary employee turnover by bridging generational gaps and making managers more effective in their roles. As a Millennial herself, she knows first-hand what it is like to have a heightened sense of entitlement, very little employee loyalty and a dependency upon her smart phone. However, unlike many Millennials, Cara has figured out exactly how these attributes were cultivated during her formative years, and she now shares that story with leaders across the country, including teams at Toyota, UPS, Cintas and Humana.

Cara learned early in her career, from her Baby Boomer and GenX mentors, what “professionalism” meant to them, and absorbed critical information about management expectations during her first decade in the business world. She then went on to earn her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the top-ranked University of Louisville Entrepreneurship program, lived overseas teaching German executives about business practices in the U.S., and then started her consulting firm, Crescendo Strategies, in 2012.

Today, at age 37, she’s a highly-sought-after national speaker conducting 50 to 100 engagements annually. Louisville Business First recently named her one of their 2018 Forty Under 40 young professionals. Workforce Magazine in Chicago named Cara a “Game Changer” for her innovative approach to solving generational issues in the workplace and Recruiter.com listed her in their “Top 10 Company Culture Experts to Watch,” list. She is also the author of the 2018 book, Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer.

Show Notes:

Website: Crescendo Strategies, Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer

Social Media Links: LinkedIn | YouTube | Twitter

Season 8 - Business lessons from Rock with John O'Leary - Episode 74 Feb 17, 2019

John O’Learyis the only management consultant who has studied New Testament Greek at the Yale Divinity School, lived with the Grateful Dead, and hosted a cable TV talk show. He has also been a band leader/musician who opened shows for two dozen Rock & Roll Hall of Fame acts and shared dressing rooms with the likes of Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Michael Bolton, Frank Zappa, and Muddy Waters.

But for over three decades John has been primarily immersed in organizational consulting, team training, and executive coaching. He has conducted more than 500 seminars on leadership, public speaking, and coaching—and has trained trainers to lead similar seminars for over 50,000 participants. He has worked with over a thousand leaders and hundreds of teams in diverse industries of all sizes.

John has also had the good fortune to work with renowned thought leaders in business including Peter Senge (The 5thDiscipline), Fernando Flores (On Computers and Cognition), Werner Erhard (founder of the est Training), and Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence).

For years he was a featured blogger on www.TomPeters.com, an internationally popular business website, and maintains his own blog at www.BusinessLessonsFromRock.com which draws teambuilding lessons from rock & roll bands. HR Worldhas dubbed it “one of the top 100 management and leadership blogs.”

Recent clients include: Anglo-American, Anthem/Wellpoint, Atrium Innovations, Cisco Systems, Commerce Bank, Deloitte & Touche, DHL, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Nestlé Health Science, Pfizer, Schindler, Teck Resources, and the US Army.

John currently resides in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Show Notes -

Websites: John O’Leary,

Books/Courses: Business Lessons from Rock, In Search of Excellence

Season 7 - Transforming Stressors Into Confident Performances On Cue with Jeff Renner- Episode 73 Dec 03, 2018

Jeff Renner is a Professional Speaker, Moderator and Guide for Personal/Team Growth. He was a meteorologist and broadcast professional who forecasted the weather for KING 5 News, and NBC affiliate, in Seattle for more than 35 years. He holds the prestigious Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation from the American Meteorological Society, of which he is a member.

Accomplishments

• Nine-time Emmy award winner

• 40+ years in television news

• 30+ years Chief Meteorologist

• NASA Journalist in Space candidate

• Author of six books

• Commercial pilot, scuba diver, sailor, climber and skier

Notable Field Assignments

• The White House, Vatican

• Severe Storms,Volcanic Eruptions

Show Notes:

Websites: Jeff Renner

Books: Amazon Link

Season 7 - An Ontological Approach to Peak Performance with Pat Johnson- Episode 72 Dec 03, 2018

Pat Johnson started her professional career responsible for various aspects of learning programs within the Ministries of Health; Community, Aboriginal, and Women Issues; Forests; and Advanced Education Training and Technology. Pat was Director of Business Education and also Assistant Director of Learning & Development at BC Pension Corporation; and went to CRD as Manager, Workforce Development and Strategies. She has also trained with her own company internationally and within segments of the private sector. Her credentials include certifications in change management and transitions; Fierce Conversations; MBTI; Emotional Intelligence; World Class Speaker Coach; as well as extensive experience with the fields of coaching, communication and leadership.

She is currently an ontological trained life coach in her own company, Pat Johnson & Associates, where she coaches individuals from various walks of life who aspire to achieve more in their life. She also works for Accomplishment Coaching out of San Diego as a Mentor Coach, working with coaches who are currently enrolled in the training program.

In 2010/11, she served Toastmasters International, the fastest growing not-for-profit educational organization in the world, as their International President and Chairman of the Board – the only Canadian woman President in the organization’s 93 year history. As President, Pat oversaw some 300,000 active members from 116 countries and earned her reputation for inclusive, fair and honest leadership at the global level. She has a unique understanding of global leadership and experience standing on the world stage unafraid.

A truly International leader and speaker, Pat has spoken in Australia, Caribbean, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Mainland China, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and across the United States and Canada as both a keynote speaker and an educator. She continues to mentor a number of leaders worldwide. She has recently completed a 3.5 year term as Manager of 250 international consultants who advised on the development of new curriculum for an international educational organization; served on a number of advisory committees and chaired an international convention held in Vancouver during August 2017 where the global community came together. She co-chaired the inaugural post-convention Alaska Cruise from Vancouver to Hubbard Glacier. Pat recently published her first book entitled, “A Handbook for Building and Sustaining Vibrant Toastmasters Programs in Corporations” and was a keynote presenter at the International Convention in Chicago in August 2018.

Within her local community, Pat has served as a Board Member with the Victoria Women’s Transition House Society and as a mentor for Leadership Victoria for five years. She served on an Advisory Board at UVic for Adult Education programs for several years and coached the Commonwealth Games Speakers’ Bureau. She is a past member of the Saanich Rotary Club where she was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow, is a current member of Toastmasters International and also curls out of the Victoria Curling Club.

Show Notes:

Websites: Pat Johnson, LinkedIn, Accomplishment Coaching, Toastmasters International

Book Recommendations:

From sound of music to real-estate excellence with Carla Cross - Episode 69 Dec 03, 2018

For the first thirty years of her life, Carla was a performing and teaching musician. She earned a B. A. in piano performance (high honors, Phi Beta Kappa), and a masters’ degree in arts, major in music theory.

For several years, Carla taught flute and piano in colleges and gave private lessons. Moving to Seattle, Washington while pregnant with her son Chris (yes, it’s Chris Cross, and he owns a real estate company now….), Carla started selling real estate as a fluke when Chris was 14 months old. (Her training was really ‘in the field’!) With no training and little guidance, Carla still found she loved selling real estate, because it was a challenge and a contrast to music. She attained recognition in the top 1% of her 400 agent company in her third year in the business. While setting sales records, she kept playing music and teaching for several years. (Her Professional Portfolio is the result of the insights she got transferring her musical background to real estate excellence).

Now, Carla runs her coaching and training company, while attempting to get her body in shape by letting a personal trainer torture her three times a week. She thoroughly enjoys working with her professional real estate coaches as a cohesive team and seeing awesome clients achieve their goals quickly. Always creating new programs, Carla is now working on an inspirational book and a ‘inner coaching’ guide.

More About Carla:

•Creator of the best-known, most used new agent start-up plan in the world, Up and Running in 30 Days. •She’s been a presenter at the last 16 National Association of Realtor Conventions. •She has been the choice of CRB for their featured speaker at the last 4 NAR conventions. •She’s appeared on CNN and CNBC, as well as dozens of radio programs. •She’s been published over 300 times in major real estate magazines and newsletters. •Carla is a National Association of Realtors National Realtor Educator of the Year. •She’s a Washington State Realtor Educator of the Year. •She attained status as a master level CRB instructor, instructor of the Certified Real Estate Broker designation (CRB); author of several CRB Managers’ Courses, including the business planning course.

SHOW NOTES:

Website - Carla Cross

Resources and Recommendations:

Games People Play: The Basic Book of Transactional Analysis Eric Berne

A great book on how to understand human behavior and how to interact with various behavioral types

Frogs Into Princes John Grinder and Richard Bandler Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Another method to understand how people think and how best to communicate with them

Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers - Developing Change-Driving People and Organization Robert Kriegel and David Brandt

Great examples of change resistance and the steps companies must take to initiate change successfully

Piano Lessons: Music, Love & True Adventures, Noah Adams

Not just a book about an adult learning to play piano, this book traces Adams’s odyssey to learn to play the piano as an adult, and his exceptional interviews with famous pianists from his time on All Things Considered

Conative Connection: Acting on Instinct, Kathy Kolbe

Analyzes how we get into action (not just how we learn); so important for anyone wanting to take action with more assurance, and great for coaches

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras

Gives examples of vision and how some companies really stand out, while others are good but not exceptional; the best business book on earth!

Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Daniel H. Pink

All of Pink’s books are illuminating; for those of us who coach, understanding contemporary motivation and to successfully motivate now is a must!

Note: Unfortunately, the quality of this audio recording was compromised due to technical issues, and we were able to restore some of it with some audio engineering brilliance. We appreciate your patience and understanding while listening to it.

Season 7 - Stumbling towards God ~ A spiritual memoir by Russell Perkins - Episode 71 Oct 19, 2018

Season 7 - Educational Leadership with Kent Bicknell - Episode 70 Oct 17, 2018

Kent Bicknell grew up in central New Hampshire and resides there still. In 1973 Kent became founding head of Sant Bani School and stayed as a teaching head for 44 years, retiring in 2017. He was a Scholar of the House at Yale University, and holds a master’s degree from Goddard College and a doctorate in curriculum from Boston University. Kent has been involved in education for five decades, including over forty years on the Advisory Council of the New Hampshire Commissioner of Education and six years as a commissioner with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. He has served as a consultant to schools across the U.S. as well as in Bhutan, Canada, Colombia, Guatemala, India and Venezuela. In 2018 Kent published Stepping Stones: The First Five Years of Sant Bani School (1973-1978). This history of the founding and formative years of a unique school has received strong endorsement from educators across the country.

An independent scholar whose work has been published in a variety of journals, Kent’s main interests are the New England Transcendentalists – Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the Alcott Family: their educational pedagogy and how they were inspired by the spiritual wisdom of Asia. In 1995, he acquired, edited and published the manuscript of A Long Fatal Love Chase, a gothic thriller by Louisa May Alcott that became a New York Times best seller.

Kent’s spiritual quest in the ‘60s culminated in receiving initiation in 1968 from Master Kirpal Singh (1894-1974) of New Delhi, India. In 1976 he came close to Sant Ajaib Singh (1926-1997) of Rajasthan, India. After more than twenty-five visits to India as well as traveling extensively in Central and South America with Sant Ji, he published Rainbow On My Heart: A Memoir of the Early Years of the Mission of Sant Ajaib Singh (2002).

Show Notes:

Little Green Light: www.littlegreenlight.com

Season 7- From Zelda Wisdom to MaxDaddy with Carol Gardner - Episode 68 Aug 25, 2018

She’s back! .... At age 52 Carol Gardner was divorced, depressed and in debt for over a million dollars. Her divorce attorney laughingly suggested that Gardner needed a new chapter in her life and that she now had a choice: get a therapist or get a dog.

Gardner chose ‘DOG.’ And that dog turned her life around. Zelda, a short, stout English bulldog became an instant success, appearing on Hallmark greeting cards, books, calendars, cookie jars and just about every other imaginable product.

Now at age 72, Carol Gardner is back... this time touting Zelda’s boyfriend, a rescued dog named MaxDaddy. When Carol rescued MaxDaddy, he came to her with a lot of issues such as arthritis and joint pain. In her research to find help for MaxDaddy, Carol was introduced to CBD, the non- psychoactive oil from Hemp.There were small companies producing dog treats and oils containing CBD, but they weren’t up to Gardner’s standards. Fast forward to NOW. Carol and her business partners pulled together a ‘Top Dog’ team of Ph.D. scientists, a marketing verbal/visual master, and two business pros. The results? Gardner’s new company, MaxDaddy Inc., was created to help dogs with anxiety, seizures, arthritis, joint pain, mobility and itching issues. The company now offers MaxDaddy Bark Nuggets and MaxDaddy Bark Dust.

Not only are these CBD products helping MaxDaddy with his joint pain and arthritis, but also CBD is helping his girlfriend, the famous Zelda #3. Zelda is anxious… to say the least. She’s a super star with stage fright and anxiety related issues. MaxDaddy’s CBD Bark Dust has come to the rescue. Zelda was rescued by her own rescue dog boyfriend, MaxDaddy.

The future for Gardner’s new company? Zelda thinks the future for both MaxDaddy and Gardner is looking grrrrreat!

Show Notes:

Carol Gardner websites: MaxDaddy, Zeldawisdom

Season 7- Tap with Brad - Episode 67 Aug 25, 2018

Brad Yates is known internationally for his creative and often humorous use of Tapping, also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). Brad is the author of the best-selling children's book "The Wizard's Wish," the co-author of the best-seller "Freedom at Your Fingertips," and a featured expert in the film “The Tapping Solution,” He has also been a presenter at a number of events, including Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success, has done teleseminars with “The Secret” stars Bob Doyle and Dr. Joe Vitale, and has been heard internationally on a number of internet radio talk shows. Brad also has well over 750 videos on YouTube, that have been viewed over 21 million times.

Show Notes:

Brad Yates - YouTube Videos, Website

Book Recommendation: illusions by Richard Bach

Season 7 - Service and Servant Leadership with Gary Schmidt - Episode 66 Jul 09, 2018

Gary Schmidt is the Director of Public and Government Affairs for Clackamas County, Oregon. He previously worked for Oregon United States Senators Mark Hatfield and Gordon Smith, as a Field Representative, speechwriter and constituent services coordinator. Gary has been a Toastmaster for 23 years and served as the International President of Toastmasters International in 2009-2010.

Show Notes:

Toastmasters International

Gary Schmidt - LinkedIn Profile

Season 7 - Creating Heart-Centered Profitable Businesses with Rose Harrow - Episode 65 Jul 09, 2018

For over 30 years Rose has coached and mentored business and professional change makers so that they can do well financially while making a difference in the world.

As past director of an international non-profit, she understands the challenges that large organizations face, and has a wide angle perspective of what it takes personally as well as professionally to run a business or organization.

Her early education included the diverse interests of brain re-wiring, therapeutic massage, a degree in music composition, and a minor in social welfare.

Her love for people and her intuitive ability to zero in on core issues, make her equally at home chairing a meeting or coaching one to one, and seeing innovative solutions “outside the box.”

As her “give back” she has coordinated national educational networks in the U.S. and Latin America.

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The common thread through all of her life is that she believes that any mindful career can be a powerful spiritual path. If you desire to “change the world,” the process will call forth from you a level of growth and transformation that is deep and soul satisfying. You will feel more like yourself than ever before.

This journey requires special “real world” skills and systems in addition to passion, persistence and vision.

Show Notes: Website, LinkedIn Profile,

Season 6 - Succeeding in business and life with Terry Beard - Season 6 Episode 64 May 24, 2018

Terry Beard is an entrepreneur with many years of experience building and leading successful ventures in retail, manufacturing, brick and mortar, and internet enterprises.

Synopsis of his new Book: Squelched: Succeeding in Business and Life by Finding Your Voice

Too many of us live with our inner voices reinforcing the feeling that we are "not good enough." Squelched is living testimony that we need not succumb to the negative messages life may serve up to thwart our aspirations and best efforts. We can be more than the expectations of others, with conviction, effort and hard work we can overcome and move towards personal strength and happiness.

Show Notes:

Squelched Book

LinkedIn Profile

Toastmasters International, Dale Carnegie

Season 6 - Accelerating Revenue and Business with Lenora Edwards - Episode 63 May 09, 2018

Lenora Edwards is a business development consultant for entrepreneurs & executives. Her clients hire her to help them design, develop, and build their businesses--on their own terms. Her value-add is acceleration of the revenue-generating process. She is known for helping those of us with especially unique value propositions and many regard her as their “ad hoc business partner who never tries to take equity.” Her expertise spans retail, manufacturing, and professional services in both domestic and international markets. Since launching her practice in 2001, her community of satisfied clients keeps growing -- nearly all by referral. It’s her dream job – and it shows.

Season 6 - Spirit in Motion with Cycling Champion Maureen Manley - Episode 62 May 09, 2018

Maureen’s exceptionalism first came to international attention as a world class cyclist. She had no preconceived limits on what she could accomplish as a member of the US Cycling Team. She won a National Championship, set a national record, earned a silver and bronze medals at the national level. She won a silver medal in the World Championships and had her eye on the 1992 Olympics.

At the height of her cycling career, her dreams came to an abrupt halt with the sudden onset of a colossal health challenge. The headlines read, “Manley’s Olympic dream is dashed.” The journey down one road ended. Another began. A journey filled with compelling life lessons that strengthened her understanding and belief in the power of the human spirit.

The courage, determination and resourcefulness that had fueled her amazing athleticism became instrumental in her healing process. She did not let her physical setback stop her from living the life she desired.

In addition to her Exercise Science Degree she obtained a Master’s degree in Whole Systems Design. She began to understand and develop effective ways to deepen and broaden her knowledge and application of holistic high-performance strategies that would help produce the outcomes she desired.

Her journey led her to become a creative force – a gifted corporate professional speaker and peak-performance wellness and business coach. Maureen’s passion for excellence and her authentic presence have led her to inspire audiences from coast to coast.

In her program, The Cycle of Success, Maureen shows her audiences how to gain the winning edge by harnessing the power of both grit and grace.

Season 6 - First Impressions and People Packaging with Sylvie Di Giusto - Episode 61 May 09, 2018

“People Packaging is what I do" says Sylvie di Giusto who helps individuals and organizations to explore how people make up their minds very quickly about them, their leadership potential, or their company, and either open the door or slam it shut. Twenty years of corporate experience and her ability to empower people to inﬂuence the success of own career has led to her launching Executive Image Consulting, based in New York City. It’s where she uses her extensive corporate expertise as a keynote speaker, corporate trainer and image consultant for professionals, politicians, and companies who place great importance on themselves. Sylvie speaks to audiences around the world about the importance of “First Impressions… and everything beyond”. She is the Author of “The Image of Leadership,” the Co-Owner of the “Studio for Image Professionals” and the Creator of “How You Impress.”

Season 6 - How gender affects the way we communicate, identifying your IT factor with Nick McArthur - Episode 60 May 09, 2018

Nick McArthur is a dude with a wife, five kids, and an online business. He also happens to have spent much of his life living as a woman...even though deep down he always knew he was a man. When he embraced his identity and came out as transgender, he realized just how much gender affects the way we think, talk, and function. He now speaks from his experience on both sides of the gender coin, empowering both men and women to live authentically and powerfully no matter what their gender might be. Nick helps creative entrepreneurs find their own voice at epicdanger.com and his blog about transitioning is at theverybestman.com. You can also find him on Instagram as @epicdanger posting many pictures of his many kids.

Season 6 - Redesigning your Inner Space with Paul Sokolski - Episode 59 Apr 05, 2018

Paul Sokolski, founder of Redesign Your Inner Space, is a visionary leader, and has a passion to truly help change the way the world sees what's possible.

Paul speaks worldwide and focuses on helping people live with total abundance. Paul brings a unique approach to his performance catalyst company, and how he coaches individuals from a background of over 25 years in business and a personal journey that fuses authenticity, love and forgiveness, to create a space of peace for the individual that has the passion to grow, Live and love, in a way that serves themselves first and then others, as Paul has also mastered in his life.

Show Notes:

PauL Sokolski - Website

Season 6 - A story about commitment and retiring young with Galina Lipina - Episode 58 Apr 05, 2018

Galina Lipina, is a coach at "Turning Point"and she specializes in supporting successful professionals who want more in life, who are ready to uplevel.

She has been though a few transitions in life (moved to US all by herself at the age of 24 , transitioned from a job to being a consultant to then retiring at the age of 33)

She supports her clients with:

Clarity. Defining the next goal.
Fulfillment. I will help you get clarity on your fulfillment and make sure it is integrated into your next goal.
Freedom. Eliminating have to's and should's, and design your life around your wants and meant to be's.
Unique lifestyle and goal design that peels away all conditioning of what you are supposed to be and do and connects you to what's your unique way of living your life.
Getting unstuck to live the bigger version of you.
Strategy. Developing the most effective strategy to get there.
Action. Defining the action steps to start and then do it!

Show Notes:

Galina Lipina's Retirement Story - Website, Facebook

Galina's Speech at Digital Footprint - Atlanta - here

Recommended Resources: Workshops, Seminars, The Science of getting Rich

Season 6 - Transform yourself, your relationships, and your world with Ryel Kestano- Episode 57 Apr 03, 2018

Ryel is the lead designer of ART's curriculum, and runs operations. Prior to co-founding ART International, Ryel oversaw all training operations at the Integral Center in Boulder, a world-renowned leader in transformational workshops. He has been a course leader, course supervisor, facilitator and coach since his own transformation several years ago. Ryel is also the co-founder and visionary behind Virtuance, one of the largest providers of real estate photography in the world, and the co-founder and visionary behind Pink Mammoth, one of the Bay Area's largest and most successful creative arts collectives.

Show Notes:

Art International

Book Recommendations: The Untethered Soul, The Eden Project, Nonviolent Communication

Season 6 - Hacking the Gap with Greg Voisen - Episode 56 Apr 03, 2018

Greg Voisen, creator and host of Inside Personal Growth, is an author, creative consultant and thought leader in the human potential movement. Inside Personal Growth was born out of Greg’s passion for personal growth and mastery. He continually strives to improve his own life – spiritually, emotionally and physically – as he learns from the hundreds of authors interviewed on this website.

Greg’s professional journey began with a career in insurance sales and financial planning, during which he found himself coaching clients to feel emotionally secure making major life investments. For the past 30 years, Greg has been honing his skills in business consulting, finance and psychology. In 2003, he sold his successful financial consulting company to attend the University of Santa Monica and earn his M.S. in Spiritual Psychology. Since, he has created multiple businesses with philanthropic arms, including Digital Seed and Compassionate Communications, to merge these disciplines.

Inside Personal Growth is one of many ways Greg connects people for the greater good. It is his professional mission to inspire insight and innovation that facilitates breakthroughs in the individual and collective consciousness to evolve the way we see people in business.

Show Notes:

Check out Greg's new book: Hacking the Gap

Greg Voisen Websites: Learn more about Greg by visiting voisen.com and eluminate.net.

Season 6 - Wisdom of Friends Intro Apr 03, 2018

“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” - Franz Kafka

Dear Friends,

I am Kal Aras and I want to welcome you to the Season 6 of Wisdom of Friends

Some of you may wonder - What is Wisdom of Friends?

Well - Wisdom of Friends- is a talk show distributed as a podcast where I interview inspiring leaders, fascinating and eclectic people in our community who are living extraordinary lives; capture and share their wisdom and celebrate their life.

We dig deeper into their life's journey; their goals, their struggles, and their aspirations. We discover how they came to identify their purpose, their values, and their philosophy on life, success, and contribution.

We celebrate folks who have mastered ways to balance the science of success with the art of fulfillment.

As the Zen practitioners would say - having a beginner's mind helps see possibilities and my goal with these interviews is to extract the wisdom from these conversations, apply it and share it.

Why did I start this show?

The reason I started this show was to bring together people I have known in my life - my social circle, my professional network and my community. Over the years, I have soaked in their wisdom; these individuals with their stand for making a difference in their circle of influence and beyond; have in turn made a difference in my life through their inspiring vision and message, their pursuit of excellence, and comebacks when life had dished out challenges in the form of curve balls - be it a debilitating disease, abuse, bankruptcy, divorce or a death of a loved one. They found a way - the grit to not succumb to these setbacks but instead figured out a way to bounce back with success, build character and alter their destiny with powerful choices. They have shown us to how to keep on living a life fully, powerfully and joyfully. And this is my humble attempt to capture their stories and wisdom as an acknowledgement to these amazingly wonderful people.

Folks - these are the stories of men and women who like you and me are just ordinary people but continue to embark on an extraordinary journey and inspire people in their lives and their community to do the same.

Once again, I welcome you to the Season 6 of Wisdom of Friends show. And, if you like what you hear, please share, don't be shy. I'd also appreciate if you can give us a five star rating so that we can share this podcast with a bigger audience.

Thank You!

Season 5 - From communication chaos to profit, performance and productivity- Episode 54 Mar 21, 2018

Lisa, founder of Lisa Copeland Communications, is a communication specialist with 25+ years of corporate speaking experience. While maintaining her corporate position, she also leads business teams with radically different perspectives to synergy via customized communication and enhanced understanding of the workplace dynamics.

As a business consultant, workshop facilitator, corporate coach / educator and highly skilled dental hygienist, Lisa’s dynamic presentation style motivates her audience to take action.

Her diverse career path focuses on: Lisa Copeland Communications consulting, clinical hygiene and corporate education.

Lisa is an international speaker who has presented a wide range of topics to audiences throughout the world. She is a committed member of the National Speakers Association, which promotes the highest standards of professional speaking partnered with lifelong learning.

After working in Singapore for five years, Lisa and her husband relocated to the Northwest. Her passions in life include triathlons, cycling, swimming, snowboarding, and travel.

Show Notes:

Lisa Copeland - Website, LinkedIn

Season 5 - Your Communication Connection with Jan McLaughlin - Episode 52 Mar 20, 2018

Jan M. McLaughlin, CSP works with professionals who want to positively influence the responses they receive. Jan had been a teacher, retail manager and actress in television commercials when she established the image consulting firm, J'Ambry. Referred to in the Seattle Times as a "pioneer in the image industry" and "the most frequently-quoted image professional in the Northwest," she was a popular guest on television and radio and in demand as a speaker. At the urging of clients, she expanded her focus and established Your Communication Connection. As a highly-respected speaker and trainer—who is considered an expert in communication—she offers programs on impression management, communication, customer service, leadership and presentation skills.

Jan has earned the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation—the speaking profession’s international measure of speaking experience and skill.

Fewer than 12 % of the 5,000+ speakers worldwide, who belong to the 14 member associations of the Global Speakers Federation (GSF), currently hold this professional designation.

Season 5 - Don't just Wow the crowd, change them with Tamsen Webster - Episode 51 Jan 25, 2018

Part "idea whisperer," part message strategist, and part presentation coach, Tamsen Webster helps people and organizations like Verizon, State Street Bank, Ericsson, Johnson & Johnson, and Disney find and communicate the power of their ideas. For four years, she was the Executive Producer of TEDxCambridge, one of the oldest and largest locally organized “TED talk” events in the world. In former lives, she worked in both agencies and at nonprofits heading up brand, marketing, and fundraising communication strategy, along with a brief but enduring turn as a change management consultant. She was a reluctant marathoner...twice; is a winning ballroom dancer (in her mind); and everything she knows about people, speaking, and change, she learned at Weight Watchers. True story.

Show Notes:

Tamsen Webster Keynote Speaking and Coaching

Tamsen's LinkedIn Profile

Season 5 - Turning Your Knowledge, Experience and Expertise into Ongoing Streams of Cash - Peter Thomson - Episode 50 Jan 25, 2018

Peter Thomson is now regarded as the UK’s most prolific information product creator. Starting in business in 1972 he built 3 successful companies – selling the last to a public company, after only 5 years trading, for £4.2M enabling him to retire at age 42.

Since that time Peter has concentrated on sharing his proven methods for business and personal success via audio and video programmes, books, seminars, conference speeches and mentoring programmes.

Peter now specializes in helping coaches, consultants, speakers, trainers and business owners to grow their organisations – so each can create a business and a life of choice. He shares the precise steps on how to share more of their authentic messages with more people than they could ever reach on a 1-2-1- basis by showing them how to write and create and market their own informational products.

With over 100 audio and 100 video programs written and recorded he is Nightingale Conant’s leading UK author.

Show Notes:

Peter Thomson Website, LinkedIn Profile

Book Recommendations: Decisive

Turn Your Knowledge, Experience and Expertise into Ongoing Streams of Cash by Joining Peter Thomson's highly rated The Achievers Club

Season 5 - Extraordinary Impact with Elisa Hays - Episode 49 Jan 24, 2018

Would you like extraordinary leadership at every level in your organization? Then you need to hear Elisa Hays’s astonishing story. After an 18-wheeler truck going 65 miles-per-hour hit her body, she was propelled 90 feet through the air and ultimately into the position she is in now as a speaker, consultant and executive coach empowering organizations, individuals and audiences internationally. With honesty, humor, and heart-wrenching stories Elisa reveals the simple but powerful truths she uncovered through her miraculous survival. She shares the character and choices it took to save lives and rebuild her own after the near-fatal collision that cost her a successful 20-year career as a performer and CEO of a one-of-a-kind entertainment company. By applying her hard-won leadership lessons in leveraging adversity you will grow star performer communities and achieve extraordinary impact with your team – all without the messy bother of actually getting hit by a truck.

Show Notes:

Elisa Hays: Keynote Speaking, LinkedIn Profile

Season 5 - The Reluctant Leader - Owning Your Responsibility with Ron Rael - Episode 48 Jan 24, 2018

Ron Rael, the CEO and founder of the High Road® Institute works with the everyday leader to become a person who leads with intention and impact. Ron is a vanguard on leadership topics. His 40+ years of business experience comes from working in two Fortune 500 companies, as well as from leading employee teams in closely held businesses. Ron’s has worked with Cabela’s, Costco, Starbucks, Microsoft, Bright Horizons, Moss Adams, Radio Shack, the U.S. Navy, and several northwest Universities.

Ron’s extensive wisdom and practical solutions, contained in his 19 books and diverse leadership solutions, provide both strategies and tactics for organizational success. He has trained and coached more than 14,000 leaders and business professionals throughout the United States and Canada. He is the author of The Reluctant Leader™: Own Your Responsibility with Courage, which is now available at Amazon.

The Reluctant Leader™ is a person who feels uncomfortable with the challenges of leading, yet is looked upon by others to be their leader.

Ron has been speaking professionally since 1988. And, he is only 29 years old! This is amazing and because he has a rare disorder known as DCS.

Show Notes:

Ron Rael - LinkedIn Profile, High Road Institute

Book Recommendations: Illusions by Richard Bach

Season 5 - Designing Global Learning Solutions with Eric Ellefsen - Episode 47 Jan 09, 2018

Eric Ellefsen is a learning & development leader focused on delivering evidence-based training solutions that build skills to meet business needs. Currently, he is a global learning design leader at EY (Ernst & Young), a “big 4” professional services firm, where he develops learning design processes and standards to ensure a high quality learner experience. Over the past 20 years, he has served in a variety of learning roles at Kaplan Education (higher education), ITT Corporation (manufacturing and military contracts), Healthways (healthcare), Terabeam and AT&T (telecomm). Prior to that, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He earned his PhD in Educational Technology from the University of Northern Colorado, MA from the University of Colorado and BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Show Notes:

Eric Ellefsen: LinkedIn Profile

Toastmasters International Website

Season 5 - Insights from this Two-Time World Championship Finalist with Katina Hunter - Episode 46 Jan 09, 2018

Katina Hunter has spoken all over to audiences spanning the generation spectrum & in front of people all over the world as one of the Top 10 Speakers in the World Championship of Public Speaking in both 2016 & again in 2017. Her theatrical background comes through in her boisterous presentations & motivational speeches.

Described as "Maverick!" with speeches that are "... for the history books," Katina is a masterful storyteller with a knack of revealing the special from within the simple.

When she first joined Toastmasters 4 years ago, her goal was to just become more comfortable speaking. She wanted to move past the racing heart & dry mouth that suffocated her when in front of audiences. Katina didn't even know that there were speaking competitions. Now, such a short time later, Katina has not only overcome her fear, but she's a world-wide speaking competitor & coach. In 2016, Katina beat out over 32,000 other competitors to reach the Finals Stage in Washington, DC - as one of the top 10 speakers of the world. Last year in Vancouver, she did it again & is a two-time world champion finalist.

Show Notes:

Katina Hunter Speeches

Katina Hunter Website

Season 5 Intro - Compelling Speakers: The Art of Public Speaking - Episode 45 Jan 09, 2018

Hello Folks;

Welcome to Season 5 of the Wisdom of Friends Show. I am your host Kal Aras. The theme for this season is an extension of Season 4 : Compelling Speakers – The Art of Public Speaking

In this season, we are going to learn the tricks and trades of Public Speaking and Presence from some of the top notch speakers in the world. I have tried to focus on an eclectic mix of speakers from the realm of business, arts, and spirituality. Each of these speakers has established their mark as professionals within their industry, and they share some of the universal principles and best practices of being a world class speaker.

Having gotten to know these inspiring and fascinating people who I consider to be dear friends, a pattern began to emerge - they seem to share some common traits like Charisma and Presence; a Passion for outstanding contribution, and a commitment to mastery.

As these powerful leaders share their personal journey and stories, we get to learn and model their mindset, their skills set and their heart set. You will learn and discover a blueprint for your own success with concepts like:

1. How to become appealing and effective by telling compelling stories that inspire and motivate?

2. The path to influence through Presence - a balance of strength and warmth

3. How we can learn to win the admiration, respect, and affection we desire and

4. The nuts and bolts of public speaking

Regardless of whether your goal is to educate, fundraise, inspire teams, build an award-winning culture, or to deliver memorable presentations, these interviews will help you gain a competitive advantage.

That's it for this episode. We hope you enjoy this season about becoming a compelling speaker and the art of public speaking. Don't forget to subscribe to Wisdom of Friends on iTunes. While you're at it, give us a five star rating and review. This will help us reach more people and would be appreciated.

Thank you for listening. If you like what you heard, please share and don’t be shy.

Season 4 - Winning in Business and Baseball with Earl Bell - Episode 44 Nov 22, 2017

Earl Bell is an author, consultant and success coach/trainer for business owners and leaders. His expertise comes from the world of business, where Earl was CFO for a $17 billion Registered Investment Advisory firm AND the world of youth sports where he coached 22 baseball and softball teams over 10 years. Earl is the author of Winning in Baseball and Business, Transforming Little League Principles into Major League Profits for Your Company.

Show Notes:

Earl Bell - Linked In Profile

Earl Bell - Website

Season 4 - The Philosophy of Leadership with Toastmasters International President Balraj Arunasalam, DTM - Episode 43 Nov 22, 2017

Balraj Arunasalam, DTM, of Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, is chairman/managing director of Gemtrans Engineering Company, a maker of industrial belts. Active in his community, he serves as President of the Iyyappan Temple management board, as Vice President of the Aarunadu Velalar Society of Sri Lanka, and is a member of both the local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.

In 2011, Arunasalam helped establish an English course for Rural Voices Unlimited, a project designed to educate youth in rural Sri Lanka. The U.S. Embassy in Colombo recognized him for this ongoing work with youth. Arunasalam holds an advanced level General Certificate of Education from Trinity College in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and is earning a master’s degree through the Australian Institute of Business Administration.

A dedicated Toastmaster for 27 years, Arunasalam is a member of two clubs, including his home club Colombo Toastmasters. A distinguished leader, Arunasalam has held numerous offices from club through international level: He served as International Director 2011 to 2013 and Second Vice President 2014-2015 and First Vice-President 2015-2016, Toastmasters International. He holds the Distinguished Toastmaster designation—the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters International.

“Toastmasters is a way of life,” Arunasalam says. “It helped me understand the philosophy of leadership, to give and receive respect, and to be humble.”

As International President, Arunasalam is a “working ambassador” for the organization. He works with the Board to develop and support the policies and procedures that guide Toastmasters International in fulfilling its mission.

Season 4 - The Tao of Public Speaking and Presentation with Dr. Ali Binazir - Episode 42 Nov 12, 2017

Dr Ali Binazir is an author, speaker and clinical hypnotherapist and Happiness Engineer. He is the author of 4 books, including "The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible", the highest-rated dating book on Amazon for 4 years, and most recently, "Should I Go to Medical School: An Irreverent Guide to Pro and Cons of a Career in Medicine." He holds an honors degree from Harvard College, an M.D. from UC San Diego School of Medicine, and an M.Phil. from Cambridge University. Formerly a consultant at McKinsey & Co., he writes a popular column for Huffington Post and is based in San Francisco. He trains executive speakers with KNP Communications, and has given three TEDx talks by invitation: "Awaken Inner Creative Genius", "Love & the Empowered Woman", and "Happiness Engineering: A New Paradigm for Success."

Show Notes:

Dr. Ali Binazir - Profile and Website, Blogs

Book Recommendations:

Why we sleep: unlocking the power of sleep and dreams" by matthew walker, ph.d.

The tao of dating: the thinking man's enlightened guide to success with women

Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential, by Matthew Kohut and John Neffinger

Steal the Show by Michael Port

Season 4 - A supersoul conversation with Dr. C. Ronald S. Williams II - Episode 41 Nov 12, 2017

Dr. C. Ronald S. Williams II is founder and senior pastor of Mount Zion Fellowship in Highland Hills, Ohio. Dr. Williams founded Mount Zion on January 2, 1983 with 15 persons in attendance. Today, Mount Zion has approximately 1,500 members. Dr. Williams has directed the development of numerous ministries that minister to those inside and outside the church. Dr. Williams is an accomplished gospel music composer, arranger, musician, and musical director. From 1977 to the present, he has recorded with The Messengers of Peace (1977–1982) and the Voices of Koinonia (1984–present). “My Soul Sings Hallelujah” is a piano concert by Dr. Williams, accompanied by members of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Voices of Koinonia. In addition, Dr. Williams has performed in concerts with such gospel artists as Donnie McClurkin and Kirk Franklin. He has performed at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Playhouse Square, and has appeared with Barry Manilow at Blossom Music Center. Dr. Williams has authored four books as well. Dr. Williams holds two doctoral degrees: Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Divinity. He has studied in the United States (Livingstone College, Ashland Theological Institute, Trinity Theological Seminary) and abroad at the institute of Holy Land Studies in Israel. Pastor Ron (as he is affectionately known) is a devoted, loving father to his two sons, Clifton and Christian.

Show Notes:

Dr. Williams Website

Recommendations: Gospel Music, YouTube Channel of Mt Zion Fellowship

Season 4- Building Dreams and Network Marketing Leaders with Eileen Williams - Episode 40 Nov 12, 2017

Eileen Williams is an entrepreneur who has capitalized on the changing global economy most recently with Social Media Marketing. Mother to 3 extraordinary people, grandmother to Luke, married to Ted Williams for 35 years

Native San Diegan and a USD business School graduate

Worked at Corporate HR - last company being ViaSat

Started Networking business 1990- with 3 kids age 5 and under

Named Woman Entrepreneur for Nu Skin Enterprises 2006

Quoted in book- Think and Grow Rich for Women 2015

Today Business is in over 47 countries and multiple millions in annual sales dominating the Latin American market and does not speak Spanish. Most passionate about helping the next generation contribute to the world and making it better for everyone.

Show Notes:

Eileen Williams - LinkedIn Profile

Course Recommendations: PSI Seminars

Season 4 - Is this Mike On with Mike Robertson - Episode 39 Nov 12, 2017

Mike Robertson is creativity in a loud suit. As a professional speaker, he draws on a lifetime of chasing one creative rabbit after another: music, magic, writing, acting, graphic design, painting. All those paths unite in his unique approach to speaking while incorporating innovative and surprising visuals.

“I didn’t use any slides at all when I began speaking,” Mike says. “I felt the same way about PowerPoint as everyone else does; it’s boring, repetitive, and distracting. But then I began thinking that—with all my graphic design experience—I could at least make slides that were nice-looking.”

They were more than just nice-looking. Mike quickly noticed something almost unprecedented: he put a slide on the screen and the audience…burst into applause!

“I knew that didn’t happen very often, so I continued to expand what I was doing, incorporating more creative use of fonts, colors, backgrounds, and even some magic techniques.”

The result quickly made Mike’s reputation in the National Speakers Association, and led to him creating slides for many top speakers in the USA and Australia.

Mike has written four books, including The Pizza, The Peach, & The Platypus, an accompaniment to his signature keynote speech on creativity, The Art of Readiness. He lives in Austin with his wife of 30 years, Lisa, a talented videographer whose documentary on electric football just had its first public showing. They have one daughter, Lindsey, a writer and performer in Los Angeles.

Mike Robertson believes that life is an art project and he tries to add an interesting page/color/melody to his own life every single day.

Show Notes:

Mike Robertson - Website

Season 4 - A Pastor's journey to the World Championship stage of Public Speaking with Kevin Stamper - Episode 38 Nov 12, 2017

Kevin Stamper recently won third place in the World Championship of Public Speaking. When he’s not speaking to Toastmasters, he’s leading a new church near Tampa, Florida (Restore Trinity). He and his wife, Marie have 2 children - Jane and Oliver - who give Kevin plenty of material for more speeches.

Show Notes:

Kevin Stamper

Restore Trinity Church

Season 4 - The Art of a Working Comic, Humor and Talent Showcases with Dave Schwensen - Episode 37 Nov 12, 2017

Dave Schwensen is the author of "How To Be A Working Comic: An Insider’s Guide To A Career In Stand-Up Comedy", "Comedy FAQs And Answers: How The Stand-Up Biz Really Works", and ""Comedy Workshop: Creating & Writing Comedy Material for Comedians & Humorous Speakers". His credits include Talent Coordinator for the television show "A&E’s An Evening At The Improv", The Hollywood and New York City Improv Comedy Clubs, and Assistant to Improv founder Budd Friedman.

With The Improv in Hollywood and New York, Dave coordinated talent showcases and auditions for major television shows, networks and film studios. Included in this list are "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Late Night with David Letterman", "The Today Show", The Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, Disney, Paramount, MTV, VH-1, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime and more.

Dave is also a former manager of The Cleveland Improv Comedy Club and Restaurant. He’s worked in the comedy industry for almost three decades and decided to do one comedy workshop in 1994. They’ve continued since...

Dave has extensive experience within the New York, Hollywood and Midwest regions as a college and corporate booking agent, (comedians, speakers and variety acts), talent manager, publicist, radio host, entertainment journalist and award-winning newspaper humor columnist. In addition to his comedy workshops in Chicago, Cleveland and Tampa, and comedy business seminars – which have been held in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Charlotte, New Orleans, Los Angeles and San Francisco – Dave has designed and instructs courses in business communications and presentation skills for Cleveland State University, Youngstown State University, and other “halls of higher learning.”

As a trainer and keynote speaker on communication skills, Dave presents "You're Talking, But Is Anyone Really Listening?" for conferences, businesses, schools and special interest groups. The program focuses on leadership, teamwork and networking by employing humor and creativity to enhance your message.

Show Notes:

For insider information about the comedy industry visit here

Beatles in Cleveland

Dave Schwensen - Website

Season 4 - Winning the UK and Ireland Championship of Public Speaking with Simon Bucknall - Episode 36 Nov 12, 2017

Simon helps high-achieving professionals to connect, influence and inspire through the spoken word – when presenting, pitching and in key meetings.

A multiple, international award-winning speaker, Simon was a Finalist in the 2017 World Championship of Public Speaking in Vancouver, Canada – placing 2nd out of more than 30,000 speakers across the globe.

As a full-time speaker, facilitator and coach since 2008, Simon has helped professionals from all walks of life to be more impactful through the spoken word, including FTSE 100 & Fortune 100 executives, entrepreneurs, MBAs and academics as well as refugees, teachers, police officers, school children and the occasional prison inmate.

Clients include General Electric, HgCapital, TrendMicro, DPD, Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and Said Business School, London Business School, Cambridge University’s Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering & Technology and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

His career background spans executive headhunting, blue-chip corporate brand strategy consulting plus a stint working in the House of Commons as Head of Office for a senior Parliamentarian. He has featured as an expert commentator on BBC World News, BBC London Radio, Channel 5 News and on international broadcast radio networks around the world.

Simon holds degrees from Oxford University and the London School of Oriental & African Studies. He is a Fellow of the UK Professional Speaking Association, the Royal Society for the Arts and Visiting Fellow in Professional Skills at London’s New College of the Humanities and Cambridge University.

In 2013, he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.

Show Notes:

UK & Ireland Champion of Public Speaking Professional Speaker, Coach & Mentor

Season 4 Intro - Compelling Speakers: The Art of Public Speaking - Episode 34 Nov 09, 2017

Hello Folks;

Welcome to Season 4 of the Wisdom of Friends Show. I am your host Kal Aras. The theme for this season is Compelling Speakers – The Art of Public Speaking

In this season, we are going to learn the tricks and trades of Public Speaking and Presence from some of the top notch speakers in the world. I have tried to focus on an eclectic mix of speakers from the realm of business, arts, and spirituality. Each of these speakers has established their mark as professionals within their industry, and they share some of the universal principles and best practices of being a world class speaker.

Having gotten to know these inspiring and fascinating people who I consider to be dear friends, a pattern began to emerge - they seem to share some common traits like Charisma and Presence; a Passion for outstanding contribution, and a commitment to mastery.

As these powerful leaders share their personal journey and stories, we get to learn and model their mindset, their skills set and their heart set. You will learn and discover a blueprint for your own success with concepts like:

1. How to become appealing and effective by telling compelling stories that inspire and motivate?

2. The path to influence through Presence - a balance of strength and warmth

3. How we can learn to win the admiration, respect, and affection we desire and

4. The nuts and bolts of public speaking

Regardless of whether your goal is to educate, fundraise, inspire teams, build an award-winning culture, or to deliver memorable presentations, these interviews will help you gain a competitive advantage.

That's it for this episode. We hope you enjoy this season about becoming a compelling speaker and the art of public speaking. Don't forget to subscribe to Wisdom of Friends on iTunes. While you're at it, give us a five star rating and review. This will help us reach more people and would be appreciated.

Thank you for listening. If you like what you heard, please share and don’t be shy.

Season 3 - The Art of transformation and applied wisdom with Katerina Satori - Episode 33 Nov 02, 2017

Katerina Satori is an Entrepreneur, Innovator, Digital Marketer, Best Selling Author, Speaker, and a Transformational Coach who inspires people to value what they have survived in life as powerful lessons, and turn those lessons, skills, and talents into their legacy - becoming an inspired entrepreneur. Katerina Satori created and launched three successful brands in wellness, relationships, and online business. She leads virtual and live trainings, masterminds, and transformational retreats.

She stands for 5 Core Values In Her Life & Business: 1. Radical Self-Acceptance 2. Bold Self-Expression 3. Fearless Living 4. Owning My Story 5. Standing In My Authentic Power

Over the last 15 years, she has assisted hundreds of people to learn to love themselves, step into their power, align with their Soul's Calling, find their soulmates, become inspired entrepreneurs, turn their biggest dreams into a reality, live authentically, and act with awareness, fortitude, and courage.

Her tools is a mix of ancient esoteric wisdom, such as I Ching, Kabbalah, the Chakra system, shamanic tradition, healing guidance, the modern science of holodynamics, quantum physics, spiritual psychology, and wisdom teachings of Human Design and Gene Keys.

Show Notes:

Katerina Satori - LinkedIN Profile , Facebook-Social Media

Season 3 - An immigrant's global success journey with Dr. Sameer Joshi - Episode 32 Nov 02, 2017

Sameer Joshi joined Siemens, the German tech conglomerate, after acquiring an MBA from UK's top business school and went on to have a distinguished career there, holding several senior management/business CEO positions, and being a member of the company’s exclusive corporate top talent pool. He also holds a PhD in Business Studies

·Keen to realize his entrepreneurial aspirations, Sameer started his own venture in the manufacturing space – a conventional “brick and mortar” business, with plant, machinery etc.

Sameer is now an entrepreneur, owning and running several businesses, both online and offline – including the manufacturing company he started initially, an e-commerce/ digital marketing business and a renewable energy consulting business.

As path-breaking technology continues to be close to his heart, Sameer also serves on the advisory board of a Silicon Valley industrial technology company in Palo Alto, CA.

And if this were not all,) Sameer has recently discovered a new-found passion: Sharing his professional experience with university-level business studies in a classroom environment. Sameer was recently called upon by an esteemed business school in Europe to assume the professorship for Strategic Management, allowing him to spend a few weeks every semester teaching bright young minds keen to enter the business world after they graduate.

Sameer is married, has an 11-year old son and spends part of any given year in California (Bay Area), Germany (where his family stays) and his native India.

Show Notes:

Sameer Joshi - LinkedIn Profile , Facebook - Social Media

Season 3 - How the use of provocative ads is tackling the Opioid Crisis with Larry DeAngelis - Episode 31 Nov 01, 2017

Larry DeAngelis is a Senior Account Management lead in the Cleveland office of Doner Advertising - headquartered in Detroit with offices in Los Angeles and London. He has an extensive healthcare experience including Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals of Cleveland, OhioHealth (Columbus), Allegheny Health Network (Pittsburgh); Summa Health (Akron) and Children's Mercy Kansas City. Concentrations in casual dining (Applebee's, Ponderosa Steakhouse, O'Charley's) and specialty chemicals (DuPont, Ashland). Larry also serves on the Board of Directors of McGregor in Cleveland, OH. McGregor's services include Assisted and Independent Living, Rehabilitation, Long Term Care, Hospice Services and Respite.

Show Notes:

Doner Advertising - Opioid Awareness Campaign

Larry's Linked In Profile

Season 3 - Writing Bestselling mystery novels with Margaret Mizushima - Episode 30 Nov 01, 2017

Margaret Mizushima is the author of the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series, which includes Killing Trail (Crooked Lane, 2015) an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award nominee for best first mystery; Stalking Ground (Crooked Lane, 2016) a Colorado Book Award and International Book Award finalist; and Hunting Hour (Crooked Lane, 2017), an RT Book Reviews Top Pick. She has a background in speech pathology and practiced in an acute care hospital before establishing her own rehabilitation agency, which specialized in services for children and adults with developmental delay and acquired neurological disorders. Currently, she balances writing with assisting her husband with their veterinary clinic and Angus cattle herd. She enjoys reading and hiking, and she lives on a small ranch in Colorado where she and her husband raised two daughters and a multitude of animals. She can be found on Facebook/Author Margaret Mizushima, on Twitter @margmizu, and on her website at www.margaretmizushima.com.

Season 3 - Mastering Self Expression and Leadership with Christa Dahlke - Episode 29 Nov 01, 2017

Christa Dahlke has been in the recruiting and consulting industry for 20 years now. She helps people find the job of their dreams and save clients hundreds of hours by finding the right match the first time for their open technology positions. One of the Project Manager consultants she placed in 2012 just reached out last week and said “I had such a great experience working with you and your Kforce team the last time you placed me, I had to call you first when I was looking again. What do you have for me this time?”. My boss, Marc, calls me at least 2x week (outside my regular one on one with him) just to ask “what new adventure or miracle did you cause today”

She has gone through a lot of ups and downs in life, especially with the view of herself. Needing to prove herself and her worth Christa has had to work really hard at everything and although that can lead to some success, there can be emptiness and exhaustion with that too.

She had a few pivotal defining life events that has set the foundation for her discovering herself and her passion when she was 40 and her life has taken off since then.

She loves empowering people to go after what they want and having them see how great they are.

Show Notes:

LinkedIn Profile - Christa Dahlke

Recommended Courses: Landmark Worldwide

Season 3 - I Choose Love with Stephanie Armstrong - Episode 28 Nov 01, 2017

Stephanie Armstrong is a coach, specializing in working with moms and teens, helping families come of age together. She has walked through her own fires and has inspired hundreds of women with her radical transparency about her experiences.

As a former ‘it’ girl who seemingly had it all, but was secretly crumbling on the inside, she knows the heavy burden of teenage years and perfectionism, and also know the joy that comes from discovering the whole self.

After realizing that her experiences could help others, Stephanie began speaking in schools and conferences around the country. She has since spoken to over 200,000 teen girls, parents, and experts about self-esteem and body image, among other important issues for women and girls.

As a speaker, Stephanie was flooded with intimate stories of struggle from both teen girls and women all over the country. She saw that both women and teen girls were hungry for the same kind of transformation in their lives. So in 2013 Stephanie officially launched Heart of Leadership, a non-profit whose mission is to help teens navigate the pressures of our achievement culture so that they can create a vibrant and sustainable future.

Her formal training includes a Masters Degree in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego and coaching training with the Co-Active Institute.

Show Notes:

Stephanie's Website , Heart of Leadership

Book Recommendations

Season 3 - Thought Leadership and Creating Global Digital Empires with Chad Barr - Episode 27 Nov 01, 2017

Chad Barr, Founder and President of The Chad Barr Group, is an Internet marketing strategist with over 30 years of experience transforming businesses through technology innovation. Born and raised in Israel, Chad arrived in the United States at age 22, determined to capture the American dream. He founded his own technology company in 1987, and quickly became a globally sought-after software developer, mentor and strategist.

The Chad Barr Group works with clients on multiple continents including the UK, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Israel, and across the United States. Chad helps his clients leverage the web to dramatically transform their businesses and establish a powerful web presence. His firm, The Chad Barr Group, is recognized as one of the leading strategic Internet development organizations in the world.

Chad devotes his time to writing, coaching, consulting, speaking, and leading his clients to greater successes. A prolific writer about the web, marketing and business strategy, he has published hundreds of articles. He also co-authored the book Million Dollar Web Presence, which demonstrates how to leverage the web to build your brand and transform your business.

When he is not working with his clients, Chad revels in his latest role as grandfather to three wonderful (and, of course, brilliant) grandchildren. A former professional guitarist, Chad especially enjoys playing guitar for his grandchildren, who think he is the coolest guitarist in the world.

Show Notes:

Chad Barr's Website

Chad's LinkedIn: Profile

Season 3 - My Life and My Design with Tamara Ross - Episode 26 Oct 01, 2017

With expertise in metaphysical, esoteric and ontological teachings, Tamara is masterful at facilitating people to create and receive ANY result they desire; be it financial wealth, a successful career and/or the relationship of their dreams. She has mastered her craft as a facilitator and coach to have people move beyond what they think is possible and create the life of their dreams.

By utilizing her own methodology, Tamara has created the life of HER DREAMS - she is the sole breadwinner for her family, earns a solid six figure income, is consistentlytraveling the world with her husband and 20 month old daughter, all while working less then 20 hours a week.

Tamara believes that everyone has the capacity to create magic and live in abundance so long as they are willing to choose it.

Show Notes:

Website Tamara Ross

LinkedIn: Profile

Book and Course Recommendations: Soul of Money, Access Consciousness,

Season 3 - Coaching the Millennials one Client at a Time with Sandra Roach - Episode 25 Oct 01, 2017

Sandra Roach is a change agent with the enthusiasm to inspire others to move forward with power. As a Life Coach, she enables individuals to set goals, create action plans, and celebrate successes. With an extensive experience of juggling multiple roles, she provides strategies for work-life balance, time management, and personal effectiveness.

Roach holds a BS in Electrical Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Physics. Shortly after graduating, Sandra’s genuine passion for coaching and mentoring transitioned her into education. Her technical and analytical background has been instrumental in the success of her position as the Director and Founder of the Tutoring Tree. The Tutoring Tree provides supplemental services to students in various subjects specializing in math topics ranging from basic math to calculus. She presents complex topics in a simple and fun way; including the development and implementation of STEM based activities.

Roach has authored the books, Alina's Options: CAREERS from A to Z and STEM NAVIGATORS: Pathways to Achievement in Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics. She has served on executive boards of organizations that promote leadership and effective communication such as the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and Eastside Toastmasters.

With over a decade of technical, educational and communication experience, Coach Roach is committed to lifelong learning and improving lives through goal setting, relationship coaching and career development workshops. She believes that with the right tools and a positive mindset, everyone can achieve their dreams!

Website: www.SandraRoach.com

Facebook: CoachSandraRoach

Instagram & Twitter: @IamSandraRoach

LinkedIn: Sandra Roach

Season 3 - Leaning in towards a successful career, parenting and family with Lindsey Head - Episode 24 Oct 01, 2017

First and most importantly, Lindsey is a proud wife and mother to a 7-month old baby boy, Carter.

Professionally, she is a strategic, financial and visionary leader, providing business owners with proven methods and guidance that help them facilitate "intelligent" growth. She has always been passionate about business and entrepreneurship (aka “The Entrepreneur’s CFO”). She thrives and finds purpose in developing business ideas and helping companies succeed.

She is an award-winning Chief Financial Officer who has demonstrated my expertise over the course of my career helping a variety of businesses succeed and operate efficiently. She has collaborated with clients ranging from startups and small businesses to large corporations.

Currently she is the Chief Financial Officer for J Public Relations (“JPR”), an award-winning public relations agency representing first-class, luxury lifestyle, hospitality and travel clientele.

With enthusiasm, drive and a high-level view, Lindsey has guided JPR’s financial strategy for several years. She has facilitated all aspects of planning and operational tactics to lead the agency’s monumental success, expanding offices to accommodate rapid growth on the East Coast, West Coast and now globally.

The agency, founded 12 years ago, has more than 100 clients and over 60 team members across the U.S. and London. As a result of Lindsey’s direct contribution and financial leadership, JPR has been achieving double-digit revenue growth year-over-year.

Previously, Lindsey served as the Chief Financial Officer for a successful money management firm where she managed all financial and business operations, as well as compliance and investor relations. She helped launched the business from the ground up and managed investment accounts for high net-worth individuals. She also successfully led the business and financial operations for an angel-backed mobile tech startup that was acquired by Yahoo! in 2014.

She is an Intuit Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor®, a licensed California real estate agent, and eligible to sit for the California CPA Exam. She received her B.S. in Operations and Management Information Systems from Santa Clara University with a minor in Information Technology & Society (ITS).

Lindsey Social Media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseylhead

Instagram: @iamlindseyhead

Instagram: @bossparents

Season 2 - Wisdom of Friends Intro - Episode 23 Oct 01, 2017

"Every adversity, every failure,every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit" ~ Napoleon Hill

Dear Friends,

I am Kal Aras (Kaushal Aras) and I want to welcome you to the Season 2 of Wisdom of Friends

Some of you may wonder - What is Wisdom of Friends?

Well - Wisdom of Friends- is a talk show where I interview inspiring leaders, fascinating and eclectic people in our community who are living extraordinary lives; capture and share their wisdom and celebrate their life.

We dig deeper into their life's journey; their goals, their struggles, and their aspirations. We discover how they came to identify their purpose, their values, and their philosophy on life, success, and contribution.

As the Zen practitioners would say - having a beginner's mind helps see possibilities and my goal with these interviews is to extract the wisdom from these conversations, apply it and share it.

Why did I start this show?

The reason I started this show was to bring together people I have known in my life - my social circle, my professional network and my community. Over the years, I have soaked in their wisdom; these individuals with their stand for making a difference in their circle of influence and beyond; have in turn made a difference in my life through their inspiring vision and message, their pursuit of excellence, and comebacks when life had dished out challenges in the form of curve balls - be it a debilitating disease, abuse, bankruptcy, divorce or a death of a loved one. They found a way - the grit to not succumb to these setbacks but instead figured out a way to bounce back with success, build character and alter their destiny with powerful choices. They have shown us to how to keep on living a life fully, powerfully and joyfully. And this is my humble attempt to capture their stories and wisdom as an acknowledgement to these amazingly wonderful people.

Folks - these are the stories of men and women who like you and me are just ordinary people but continue to embark on an extraordinary journey and inspire people in their lives and their community to do the same.

Once again, I welcome you to the Season 2 of Wisdom of Friends show. And, if you like what you hear, please share, don't be shy. I'd also appreciate if you can give us a five star rating so that we can share this podcast with a bigger audience.

Thank You!

Season 2 - Accountability Pays with Pamela Stambaugh - Episode 22 Oct 01, 2017

For 30 years Pamela has provided feedback to over 2,500 executives as a coach/facilitator and advised business leaders to improve performance, productivity and results, including five years as a Vistage Coach for senior executives and their direct reports. Her specialties are team facilitation and employee engagement. Clients include companies large and small, including CBIZ, GE Healthcare, Abbott Labs, MarshBerry, and Culinary Concepts.

Pamela has authored two business books and spoken and trained around the world. She is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College and earned her MBA at the University of San Diego. Community service includes chairing the University Club’s Distinguished Speaker Series and leading a team of coaches for Landmark Education.

Pamela Stambaugh, MBA

President, Founder, Accountability Pays,
Managing Partner, Harrison Assessments

Show Notes:

Pamela Stambaugh - LinkedIN Profile
Book Recommendations - Reading List

Season 2 - Life as a Performing Art with Yichao - Episode 21 Oct 01, 2017

Yichao is a writer and improviser living in Seattle. Currently a narrative designer for the game Guild Wars 2, Yichao also was a writer for the game Magic: the Gathering and for Disney Imagineering. After getting a BA in English and Theatre and an MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts, Yichao's career has led him from playwriting, to performing, to writing for theme parks, to writing for TV, to writing in the gaming industry.

In addition to his writing work, Yichao also performs and teaches improvisational theater and comedy with Jet City Improv, regularly performing with the company as well as his own troupes and shows. As a playwright, his plays have been produced in cities across the US and U.K. He is also currently directing Jet City Improv's season opener, Dystopia! The Musical - a fully improvised musical set in a post apocalyptic world. His performance work and his writing frequently influences and informs the one another.

Show Notes:

LinkedIn Profile - Michael Yichao,
Improv Comedy - Jet City Improv

Season 2 - The importance of simplifying your message with Joel Marcus - Episode 20 Oct 01, 2017

Joel Marcus is a teacher, communicator, skilled editor and compliance professional with over 12 years of experience providing training, writing and preparing marketing materials and white papers, and reviewing research briefs, regulatory filings, and reports. His approach to improving communication is to promote accurate, clear and effective writing with consistent, compelling and well-defined messages.

He believes that no matter where we fit on the scale of wealth, fame or material success we all have chances to be kind and uplift others.

He has a great daughter who he has taught to value being: Nice, Truly Kind, Smart and Funny. His side business, The Advisor Voice consulting site, is about helping people be powerful and effective using their own natural voice when communicating their message.

His philosophy is that what makes us human is our ability to understand others' feelings and to recognize that we all want to feel happy and secure.

Season 2 - Raising your Standards and Transforming Identity with Neil Chasan - Episode 019 Oct 01, 2017

Neil grew up in South Africa during the Apartheid years. He was on the first multiracial sports team to represent the nation as a high school gymnast. He spent his university years at the UW and after built a sports Physical Therapy practice which he ran for 30 years. During that time he taught at the UW and around the nation and indeed the world. He is a published author, and he produced the iPhone App Pain Free Back which Future Trends Magazine rated "the future of health care".

As a physical therapist Neil worked with professional athletes. He developed a golf specific program for rehab and conditioning purposes during the mid-nineties. Producing the video, the Swing Reaction System, Neil discovered new ideas to bring to the golfers attention, and he wrote the book 'Total Conditioning for Golfers', first published in 2000. He also produced a poster set to go along with the book as well as a specific tool The Golf Gizmo for golfers to use while exercising.

Neil is a co-founder of Smart Metabolism, and as the clinician behind the company designed the scientific weight loss program which is now standard treatment at the Siteman Cancer Treatment Center in St. Charles, Kansas. Neil is also the author of the best seller, Total Conditioning for Golfers, the second edition now in circulation since 2000. Neil has been a featured speaker at many education forums for the WSPTA, IDEA and ACE as well as at other national and international venues, inclduing in Canada, Australia and England. Neil served as a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Washington State Physical Therapy Association for several years, and as the Chairman of the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Special Interest Group in Western Washington. Neil and his family are residents in the Seattle area.

Neil is currently working as a commercial real estate broker after retiring from the field of physical therapy.

Season 2 - The Art of Mediation and Resolving Conflict with Louise Penberthy - Episode 018 Oct 01, 2017

Louise Penberthy is a mediator, Scrum Master, facilitator, and writer. She’s also been a programmer, interface designer, and project manager for software-development teams. Underlying all of Louise’s activities is her passionate curiosity about people. Over her 15 years of experience as a mediator, she’s observed a wide range of human behavior, and worked with people of different nationalities, cultures, countries of origin, religions, and ethnicities. She writes and speaks on the patterns she sees in what people do, and how they can change their behavior to resolve disputes, avoid conflict, and work joyously and effectively with each other. Some topics she talks and writes on are, “How to Survive and Thrive on Self-Organizing Teams,” “Personal Barriers to Resolution,” and “Six Signs That You’re Being Unwisely Generous with Your Clients – And What to Do about It.” As a programmer and project manager, Louise has worked on projects at large accounting firms, medium-sized consulting firms, and a dot-com startup that didn’t survive the startup phase. Now as a Scrum Master, Louise is excited about coaching self-organizing teams to achieve team coherence and to regularly deliver value for the client. Louise has been a member of Toastmasters for 2 1/2 years. In June 2017, she finished a year-long term as president of her Toastmasters club, Chamber Club 540. She blogs about her experience as a white woman in an interracial marriage, and enjoys swimming, hiking, camping, and flat-water kayaking. Louise grew up in West Seattle, and lived in Tacoma, Chicago, Atlanta, and Baltimore, before returning to West Seattle not long after 9/11. She now lives in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle with her husband Kyle, and their large black cat Kastagir.

Season 2 - Joyous Expansion and Unleashing Your Passion with Brett Dupree - Episode 017 Oct 01, 2017

Brett is a Professional Speaker, Transformational Life Coach, and Published Author of Joyous Expansion - Unleash Your Passions to Lead an Inspired Life. Brett Dupree is dedicated to helping people let go of their fears and realize their dreams. You know how some entrepreneurs have big dreams and want to create a business, however, they let their fears and anxieties get in their way? Brett specializes in helping entrepreneur's with social anxiety, change their relationship with the business from draining to amazing.

Season 2 - Reinventing Education with Brandon Hendrickson - Episode 016 Oct 01, 2017

Brandon teaches philosophy, biochemistry, ancient history, and cooking… to little kids. He’s also the SAT- and ACT-prep guru at The Learning Professionals. This fall, he’s opening up a new kind of school for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders — one that helps people fall in love with the world, master hard things, and build lives of purpose.

Education and Experience include:

Master’s Degree in Social and Cultural Foundations of Education, University of Washington
Bachelor’s Degrees in History and Religious Studies, summa cum laude, from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University
National Merit Scholar
Member of the Advisory Board at foundry10, an educational not-for-profit
10 years coaching the SAT and ACT, as well as assorted other tests
Taught an advanced reading class in the Comparative History of Ideas Department at the University of Washington
Led seminars in philosophy, world religions, evolutionary biology, and history with students in college, high school, middle school, and grade school.
Gave a talk at TEDxYouth@Issaquah: “Why Doesn’t SAT Prep Work?”

Season 2 - Life lessons from the Woodstock Generation - Jack Von Eberstein - Episode 15 Oct 01, 2017

Jack has had an adventurous journey. He grew up in Michigan and started shooting photography professionally at 16. Some of the highlights of his life and career include:

Spending time on a commune in New Mexico; lived as a ski bum in Colorado;
Hitchhiked through Europe; worked on several private yachts on East Coast,
Great Lakes, Inside Passage (British Columbia); skied in Argentina; flyfishing in
Alaska, British Columbia, Kiribati, Russia, Montana, Oregon, Washington;
mountain biking; 3 grown boys; heavily into photography since age 10
School: Fine Art at Banff School of Art & Design (Banff, Alberta, Canada), Nova
Scotia College of Art & Design, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (Toronto),
Marketing (University of Washington)
Businesses: ice cream parlor in Boothbay Harbor, Maine (23 years old); Semi-
precious gems, antique Chinese jade, jewelry (25 yrs old); Publisher, Seattle
Creative Listing (29 years old); Google photographer present (5 yrs)
Magazine layout (Los Angeles, 27 yrs old)
VP Marketing, national educational publisher (6 yrs)

Season 2 - How to Become Fearless with Jim Wolfe - Episode 14 Sep 25, 2017

Jim Wolfe is deeply passionate about sharing the tools, techniques, and mindset shifts that have transformed his life with his clients and he loves hearing their success stories even more. Jim doesn’t want to motivate you for a few hours or days. He wants your life to be permanently better after you connect with him. As part of that commitment to you, Jim is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. His best-selling books include Level Up, 7 Keys to Being a Total Badass, and Attract and Keep Her. Jim was born and raised in the United States. However, Colombia, Turkey, Costa Rica, and Thailand remind him of delicious food, welcoming people, rich history, gorgeous water, overnight trains, and lifelong memories. He’s obsessed with reading, writing, learning, travel, and personal growth… He doesn’t always drink beer, but when he does he prefers Guinness… And he absolutely LOVES college football… Beyond his practical experience working with clients from over 37 countries and 13+ years of intense study in the fields of personal development and interpersonal relationships, Jim also earned his M.A. in Communication and B.B.A. in Business Economics from Boise State University.

Show Notes:

Season 2 - Leadership, Coaching and Family Values with Jon Gonzalez - Episode 13 Sep 25, 2017

Born and raised in Washington and currently a Partner (“owner”) at Deloitte – which is the largest professional services firm in the world.

Jon works with Tech and Life Sciences companies including startups in both an audit and advisory capacity. He especially loves working with startups including helping them through the Initial Public Offering process. He leads the recruiting process for the firm and enjoys creating an inclusive culture in Seattle for the Audit and Assurance practice.

Jon is passionate about children especially in education and sports: He serves as a Treasurer at the Brightwater Waldorf School which is focused on cultivating creative minds, capable hands, and compassionate hearts.

In his spare time, he coaches children's baseball teams. At work and in his personal life, Jon is committed to leadership and personal development, connection, and contribution. He loves spending time outdoors and traveling.

He has been married to Kim and is a father of three young/energetic boys – Julian – 10, Quinn – 8, and Dominic – 5.

Season 1 - Healing Cancer and a Commitment to Thrive with Jemma Brown - Bonus Episode 12 Sep 25, 2017

Jemma Brown is an independent graphic designer, avid salsa dancer and health nut. She also founded a group called the Seattle Super Huggers, in hopes of healing people one hug at a time!

Currently she is celebrating 11 years cancer -free after having stage 4 cancer not once, but twice! Jemma is passionate about health, well being, and loves sharing a wealth of knowledge on the subject as well as helping people connect to the best resources who can help outside of her scope.

Season 1 - Transcending Failure and Transformational Leadership with Jim McLaughlin - Episode 10 Sep 22, 2017

Over the past 20 years, Jim McLaughlin has been on a journey to reinvent everything in his life. He had to. Nothing was working. All his strategies for "making it" in life were tapped out, or based on weak assumptions.

From being an unemployed, divorced, lonely, and cynical man at mid-life, Jim has gone on to explore three different career paths and created a family: an AMAZING wife and two wonderful teenage boys. He's settled on Executive Coaching and Management Consulting as the career he was born and bred for, helping business owners and their managers go beyond the obstacles that stand in the way of their success.

Along the way he's led a community leadership program administered by CSU San Marcos, founded TEDxTemecula, a locally organized TED event (now in its sixth year), founded a Toastmasters club and a Gavel club for teens, served on the board of trustees at his church and was recently elected president of the Temecula Valley Symphony. He even MC'd a fashion show this past spring

Jim is a native of southern California and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of the Pacific and went on to work on offshore oil platforms prior to beginning work on his master's degree. He then switched from petroleum geology to engineering geology, helping to make the ground we live and work on, safe. He worked also in software development as a programmer and then project manager, developing training programs for Fortune 100 companies. He received a Master of Business Administration in 2005 from San Diego State University.

Season 1 - Health, Well Being and Life Transformation with Margaret Bhola - Episode 008 Sep 20, 2017

Margaret Bhola has an extensive background in business, sales and marketing, and human relations. As a management consultant for the past 20 years, she has worked with business teams as a leader, speaker, and trainer at the national level. Margaret excels in executive and entrepreneurial coaching that produces breakthrough results not only in business but also in the lives of those she supports. She was a top national sales producer for several large companies, and for eight years, a school teacher and principal.Margaret has mentored micro-credit foundations, helping them to expand to a global presence. She has raised funds for numerous non-profit organizations including: San Diego Children’s Choir, YMCA, Girl Scouts, and religious organizations. Her love of philanthropy has driven her to participate on several non-profit boards including the San Diego Women’s Foundation. Margaret has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri.

For the past 16 years, Margaret has been a health and wellness advocate for individuals, families, and businesses. Her passion for prevention and giving the body the tools it needs to protect and heal itself led to her coauthoring Women I Want to Grow Old With, a book on women’s wellness and friendship.

Margaret stands for a world in which everyone experiences themselves as unstoppable in living healthy, vital,and fulfilled lives.

Season 1 - Tea, Tranquility and Poetry with Dharlene Marie Fahl - Episode 007 Sep 20, 2017

Dharlene Marie Fahl is a best-selling author, poetess, inspirational speaker and certified tea specialist.

Who would have thought?

Thirteen years, Ms. Fahl asked two questions: "What is tea, anyway?" And, "Why was tea associated with spirituality and tranquility?"

Little did she know that in seeking the answers to those, seemingly simple questions, her entire life would change!

Dharlene Marie is a:

Level 3+ Certified Tea Specialist with the Specialty Tea Institute of America.

Participant of the inauguration class of the American Tea Masters Association 2008, which is now a global association.

Tea Travels to:

China (2007) -- delegate with the Tea Association of America

India (2010) -- speaker at the first Indian Tea Forum, Darjeeling

Japan (2011) -- goodwill tea ambassador to Shizuoka

Dharlene Marie intuitively knew that connecting tea and spirituality was the path to an inner journey for self-discovery, self-healing, and self-love -- that our greatest wisdom is within.

Her first book “Sereni-Tea: Seven Sips to BLISS,” is currently available on Amazon.

Now, an author turned publisher, she is the founder of RED POPPY PRESS -- Publishers of Positive Words -- through which she will publish her next inspirational books.

As a tea trainer, and working with many tea shop employees, Dharlene Marie was given the title, Tea Goddess. It's one she embraces!

Her message to people is, “In the time it takes to mindfully sip a cup of tea, you can calm your mind, change your thoughts, discover your purpose, and claim the greatness of your life!”

Dharlene Marie has received The President's Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama for a lifetime of volunteer service with various groups of all ages.

Season 1 - Transforming Body and Mind with Joelene Ashker - Episode 006 Sep 20, 2017

Transformation Coach, inspirational speaker and columnist, Joelene Ashker has coached thousands of clients to create customized, healthy habits and stick to them - personally and professionally. Joelene shares practices that helped her recover from severe depression, profound fear and anxiety, grief and unhealthy relationships. Today Joelene lives joyfully with a healthy body, mind and spirit and continues to provide tools to others for reducing stress and living happily, despite life’s challenges.

Season 1 - Self Centered Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Community Service with Jackie Bailey - Episode 005 Sep 20, 2017

Jackie Bailey strives to be selfish and self-centered. In fact, her mission is to help as many people as possible achieve the same characteristics. To this end, Jackie speaks to, trains, and mentors business owners, teams, individuals and youth.

Jackie’s influence has left its mark on audiences throughout the world in the following ways:

· As Founder and President of Emerald City Consulting since 2007

· As a local director of the largest communication-focused non-profit organization in the world – Toastmasters International from 2009 to 2013

· As a 2015 semi-finalist in The World Championship of Public Speaking – putting Jackie in the top 98 speakers of 33,000 competitors

· As a facilitator of communication/leadership workshops for youth ages 10-17

Jackie Bailey is the author of SELF Centered Leadership: Becoming Influential, Intentional, and Exceptional published in 2014. Her book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

It’s not only okay to be selfish and self-centered; Jackie will tell you why you should be, and how to develop the characteristics necessary to be self-employed, and self-reliant in four SELF-Centered principles.

Season 1 - Faith, Belief and Social Identity with Randy Stimpson - Episode 004 Sep 20, 2017

When Randy was born his mother and father were only 15 and 17. They married and divorced before he could remember, neither graduating from high school. At the age of 12, Randy was reintroduced to his father who communicated to him the Mexican work ethic and the value of extended family. Randy's mother was alcoholic and bipolar but also very altruistic and liberal with love, acceptance, and forgiveness. At the age of 14 Randy, though raised in a non-religious home, converted to Christianity and by the time he finished high school wanted to become a minister but also was strongly pulled to be a Math Professor. Early in college, he had to choose and he chose math which later led him into computer science.

After graduating from the University of Washington with a Masters Degree in Applied Math and Computer Science, Randy began his career as a software engineer. More significantly though, Randy focused on applying his Christian faith to issues of justice. As part of his commitment, he vowed to never use his engineering skills to make something that kills people. He also served as a World Concern Alpha Group member. sponsored refugees from Eritrea and Poland through World Relief, and served as Bread for the World's second district coordinator for the state of Washington. In his mid-thirties, Randy shed his Christianity but not his belief in God and his pursuit of justice.

Randy's favorite strategy to pursue justice is to make friends, because friendship leads to empathy and understanding, which in turn lead to peace and justice.

Season 1 - Overcoming Grief and Pain with Resilience - Joel Holc- Episode 003 Sep 20, 2017

Joel Holc was born in Argentina.

At age 3 he moved to Israel with his family. After a childhood in Israel, he spent his early 20’s traveling the world; mostly in Europe and South America

He ended up in New York and decided to live in United States

As a child he grew up with dyslexia and it heavily shaped his point of view towards life.

Joel got married in his late 20’s and had two children. Shortly thereafter the marriage ended and he raised his children as a single dad

By his late 30’s, he was diagnosed with MS. For a couple of years, he was treated with conventional medicine

When he heard the news of his diagnosis, he sold his business and went into the real estate business. A second marriage happened during this period and when that relationship ended, he started his awakening with a commitment toward health and spirituality.

After having only a little success with conventional medicine, he decided to start his journey of healing himself organically; emotionally, spiritually, & mentally.

Today he lives pain free and has been blessed with opportunity to work with multiple people in supporting them in healing themselves.

Joel is currently working on a book of his life’s journey. He enjoys his real estate profession and also the role of a life coach.

Season 1 - Championship, Winning & Coaching with Michelle Berteotti- Episode 002 Sep 20, 2017

14-year Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) veteran Missie Berteotti achieved great things as a collegiate and professional golfer, and now spends her time as an advocate for women; conducting Business Golf Academies for women and also coaching women on achieving and maintaining financial balance in their lives. In her golf academies, Missie talks about training and trusting and how to achieve peak performance. At the underlying core of all her coaching is the focus on the fundamental principles of her Mental Mastery Program TM which she has written about in her book The Mental Mastery Program -From the Classroom to the Course to Life. Missie’s daily schedule involves teaching golf and working as a financial representative for The Luttner Financial Group.

During her 14 years on the LPGA tour, Berteotti won over 1 million dollars by winning the Ping Welch’s Classic in 1996 and placing in the top 10 on numerous occasions. While traveling on the tour, Berteotti served as an instructor in numerous junior golf clinics administered by the LPGA tour in different cities each week. Since leaving the tour, Missie has worked with juniors and adults as a golf instructor at Rolling Hills Country Club in Peters Township, Pennsylvania and now at Scallys Golf Center. As a golf instructor, she continues to improve her skills by attending seminars and being a member of many professional associations. In 2012, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Pittsburgh Youth Golf Foundation. Missie takes a broad approach to her sport; Berteotti has studied Iyengar yoga, worked at nationally known golf schools, worked for 7 years received her national certificate in Therapeutic Massage, received her certification as a TPI, Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness Instructor, and she was certified by Dr. Rick Jensen as a Certified Mental Golf Coach. This is an elite group of coaches whom are specifically trained to coach the mental skills of competition. In August 2013, Missie was named as the first ever Women’s Varsity Golf Coach at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University. Missie recruited and started a women’s golf program to add to the university’s athletic program. Additionally, Missie enjoys honing her communication skills as a Toastmaster and obtained her ACS Advanced Communication Silver Award the summer of 2014. To round out her coaching skills, she spent 7 years serving as a coach in a Six-month Leadership Program for Landmark Worldwide. In the November 2013 issue of Golf Digest magazine, Missie was rated as one of the top 10 teachers in her state of Pennsylvania. Golf Digest prepares the list every two years, polling more than 1,000 teaching professionals for their opinions on their peers. It is the only list of top teachers voted on by the teachers themselves.

Missie’s daily schedule involves balancing and blending her golf instruction and working as a financial representative for The Luttner Financial Group.

The Luttner Group also advocates for women and Missie serves as the firm’s liaison for getting women access to a network of trusted female financial representative to make informed financial decisions.

Berteotti, who is a graduate of Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, won back-to-back Pennsylvania State Championships from 1980- 1981. She then attended the University of Miami, where she had a successful collegiate career, highlighted by medalist honors at the 1984 NCAA championship. Missie still resides in Pittsburgh, Pa today where she enjoys being with her family and large community of friends.

Season 1 - Shine your Light with Jim Sultan - Episode 001 Sep 20, 2017

Now retired from a thirty-six year career in architectural lighting, Jim Sultan served as Studio Lux Vice President/Manager and senior designer. Jim brought exceptional knowledge and fresh ideas for architectural lighting design to the Pacific Northwest.

As Studio Manager, Jim worked to ensure that every project leverages the talents of the entire Studio Lux team. By thoroughly understanding the design intent of architects and the creative vision of interior designers and owners, he guides work with over 1000 manufacturers and fixture design concepts and applies thinking to the studio lighting solutions. Other than his design expertise, his strongest skill set lies in communicating with clients, design teams and vendors to ensure that each project was successfully completed.

Jim has actively served in numerous leadership positions for the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America - at the local, regional and national levels, and continues to serve on several committees. Jim has also taught numerous lighting design courses throughout the Southern California region and on the national stage at LIGHTFAIR International. While running his own company in San Diego prior to moving to Seattle, he taught lighting design practices to interior designers and architects at several community and specialty colleges.

In his private life, Jim is an active member of Toastmasters International, has served on the International Board of Directors, and has three times achieved Toastmasters International’s highest educational award of Distinguished Toastmaster.

Upon retirement, Jim opened a consulting company gearing towards training management and sales teams on communication and leadership skills and the art of effective presentations.

Season 1 - Wisdom of Friends Intro Sep 14, 2017

I am Kal Aras (Kaushal Aras) and I want to welcome you to the Season 1 of Wisdom of Friends

Some of you may wonder - What is Wisdom of Friends?

Well - Wisdom of Friends- is a talk show where I interview inspiring leaders, fascinating and eclectic people in our community who are living extraordinary lives; capture and share their wisdom and celebrate their life.

We dig deeper into their life's journey; their goals, their struggles, and their aspirations. We discover how they came to identify their purpose, their values, and their philosophy on life, success, and contribution.

As the Zen practitioners would say - having a beginner's mind helps see possibilities and my goal with these interviews is to extract the wisdom from these conversations, apply it and share it.

Why did I start this show?

The reason I started this show was to bring together people I have known in my life - my social circle, my professional network and my community. Over the years, I have soaked in their wisdom; these individuals with their stand for making a difference in their circle of influence and beyond; have in turn made a difference in my life through their inspiring vision and message, their pursuit of excellence, and comebacks when life had dished out challenges in the form of curve balls - be it a debilitating disease, abuse, bankruptcy, divorce or a death of a loved one. They found a way - the grit to not succumb to these setbacks but instead figured out a way to bounce back with success, build character and alter their destiny with powerful choices. They have shown us to how to keep on living a life fully, powerfully and joyfully. And this is my humble attempt to capture their stories and wisdom as an acknowledgment to these amazingly wonderful people.

Folks - these are the stories of men and women who like you and me are just ordinary people but continue to embark on an extraordinary journey and inspire people in their lives and their community to do the same.

Once again, I welcome you to the Season 1 of Wisdom of Friends show. And, if you like what you hear, please share, don't be shy. I'd also appreciate if you can give us a five star rating so that we can share this podcast with a bigger audience.

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