Allison Pickens is the COO of Gainsight a customer success and product experience platform. Allison is a speaker, blogger, and host of The Customer Success Podcast. She is also a Board Director and advisor to several companies. She was named one of the top 50 people in sales and business development and top women in SaaS. She joined Gainsight in 2014, and helped grow the company and build the sales and development team.

She has always been passionate about organizing and building teams, and that is a big part of her role today. We talk about skills needed for women to make it to the c-suite in one of the roles of CEO, COO, or CFO. Allison shares how she learned to rely on her individual skills and how important it it so recognize the talent in others. We talk about technology, team building, what success means, the importance of perseverance, and more in this episode.

Show Notes

• [03:20] It would have been hard for Allison to anticipate the adventure she's been on.
• [03:40] She has always loved organizing groups. In school, she was president of the athletic committee or the spirit team.
• [04:26] She also started a women's leadership initiative in college.
• [04:37] Organizing communities is something she's always been passionate about and today, it's a big part of her role.
• [04:59] She likes technology and gets excited about the future. She's also been entrepreneurial and likes building things.
• [05:49] Requirements for c-level positions vary a lot by company.
• [06:11] Being able to learn quickly has helped Allison. Learning is a skill, and life doesn't always teach us how to learn quickly.
• [07:30] Early in Allison's career, she had to quickly switch client engagements, and then later on, sectors and opportunities in the investment world.
• [07:39] Her schedule is really busy, and she's focused on different challenges every day. This leaves her with small windows for learning.
• [08:37] She mostly learns through dialogue. Although, she is also a visual learner.
• [09:31] Problem solving is a huge part of her role. Being able to dive deep and then surface up is important. Looking at patterns is also important.
• [11:45] They're also parallels between different fields that can help you learn.
• [12:31] Type B can step back and connect the dots. Type A runs around and does everything.
• [16:29] Allison loves focusing on teams. In Lacrosse, you win with an interconnected system. It's not about any one person. A great team has these connection points.
• [19:20] Signals that people can be team players includes whether they listen or if they interrupt during the interview. The way they resolve issues in another key.
• [20:38] The greatest challenge is to mobilize different skill sets and push everyone ahead. Find the balance with yourself and your team members.
• [23:17] Allison is not an early adopter. She doesn't adopt a technology unless she sees a clear path with it making her life better in some way. She does understand the tools she uses for work.
• [25:04] Going for a hike is a great way to get grounded.
• [26:00] She is active on LinkedIn. It helps her share content. It's also a great way to stay connected with people she works with in a variety of capacities.
• [27:55] Alison is learning about herself all the time. One of the things she learned on her career path is that she can persevere. Perseverance and just showing up is a really important factor when it comes to success.
• [30:33] Allison is working on structuring her day in a way that is effective for her.
• [33:06] Allison has had some fear with sharing personal stories, but people have been extremely supportive and appreciative.
• [36:27] Success is having deep relationships that create meaning for her and other people. She wants to follow her values and build communities of people that inspire.
• [38:21] Be brave, because you might be braver than you think you are.

Links and Resources:

• Allison Pickens on Twitter
• Allison Pickens on LinkedIn
• Gainsight Website
• Gainsight on LinkedIn
• Gainsight on Twitter
• The Customer Success Podcast

Parents can sometimes get so wrapped up in caring for their children that they lose their own identity. This can become a problem once the children leave home, and the parent suffers from empty nest syndrome. My guest today is a life coach, corporate wellness practitioner, and facilitator of special programs to help us become happy or regain our happiness.

Samantha Lewis was so inspired from hearing a motivational speaker years ago, that she now travels the world coaching and helping others. While working with clients, she discovered that empty nest syndrome was a problem for many. She now works with clients and gives them the tools to discover what makes them happy and brings the fun and joy back into their lives. She also shares tools and questions to help improve communication and start living in the present.

Show Notes

• [04:53] Samantha was inspired by a motivational speaker that she heard years ago. She decided that she also wanted to do that.
• [06:08] Samantha became a single mom, and she wanted to add things to her life to be what she could for her children and still be there for herself.
• [07:25] She kept exploring what else was out there in life. She used self-help and healing to bring all she could to her children.
• [08:21] She searched, so she wouldn't be lost in being all she could for her children.
• [09:32] When she started coaching clients, she discovered parents started questioning what their lives were about when the kids started leaving. This was especially hard for people with only one child.
• [11:05] She started asking people questions, so that they could re-engage with who they were. They needed to see the change as an opportunity not a void.
• [12:10] Having something missing can affect a marriage.
• [13:24] Wives can ask husbands what is going on for them almost as if it's a reflection of what's going on for the wife.
• [15:41] Strategies to avoid empty nest syndrome.
• [16:00] Find a way to stay connected to things that you find fun. Start doing this right away and add one fun thing each day.
• [17:23] Be willing to ask for and receive help. Team up with other moms, so you don't have to do everything yourself.
• [19:16] By teaming up you find solutions that you wouldn't have thought of on your own.
• [24:15] What helps keep Samantha motivated is when she actually helps people, and they let her know how much she has changed their lives.
• [25:57] There is a difference between listening and active listening.
• [26:52] When Samantha begins to feel stress, she stops and asks herself, "what is really going on here and is it mine." She also takes walks in nature or plays with her cats. She also asks what she can do to change it.
• [30:22] Stress can be turned into energy to use for something positive.
• [32:25] Samantha doesn't really see her work as work. It nourishes her and it's fun.
• [34:16] The Being You Adventures are about having a space where people can come and get a sense of what being really is. It helps reconnect people with who they are and bring more of who they are into everything that they do.
• [38:02] Some of the challenges that Samantha encounters with her work are that people want to see something tangible. Because of this, she tries to be an example and role model.
• [39:06] Being happy is a choice. It's really about asking yourself is this fun for me, and if it's not fun, look for something that you can add to make it fun.
• [40:16] Live in the present not the past.

Links and Resources:

• Samantha Lewis
• Access Consciousness
• Being You Adventures
• Samantha on Facebook
• Samantha on LinkedIn
• The Power of Habit

How do you know when to pivot and follow a passion project? Can you align your work with a greater purpose? Erin Ganju did just this when she made a pivot from the for-profit sector to the nonprofit sector. She is a social entrepreneur that started out in the financial industry and then moved on to co-found Room to Read. It was here that she honed her social entrepreneur skills as she moved from CEO, COO, to Emeritus Board Member.

Erin is the author of Scaling Global Change which is a how to guide from start-up to scaling and driving impact. In this episode, we talk about finding ways to create change, being a leader, knowing when to pivot, building a team and collaboration, having great mentors and role models, and creating the change you want to see. Erin shares so much knowledge and wisdom in her own authentic way.

Show Notes

• [03:37] Erin started out in the financial world at Goldman Sachs and now she's the managing director of the Echidna Giving Fund and a Co-founder, former CEO, former COO and Emeritus Board Member of Room to Read, an organization that believes World Change Starts with Educated Children.
• [03:55] The connecting line through her career is working internationally and finding ways to create change.
• [04:43] It's important to help people see how wonderful it is to invest across our borders and look at our world more holistically.
• [05:36] It's a common theme in many sectors to see women drop out as you move up the ranks.
• [05:50] Erin enjoyed being in a dynamic group of men and women, but she decided to take another path.
• [06:22] During Erin's career change from the for-profit to the nonprofit sector included an aha moment where she questioned why she was working so hard for causes that she didn't care deeply about.
• [06:50] She decided that she wanted to align her work with her values. She decided to pivot into the social sector.
• [06:59] Erin believes education is the great equalizer and wanted to provide education for children no matter where they were born.
• [07:28] Scaling Social Change is the how to guide to turn something that you deeply believe in into something that can really scale.  The key behind the book is that it takes building a strong organizational foundation.
• [09:06] You also have to focus on your operational excellence.
• [10:17] Hiring top talent is a challenge for social entrepreneurs.
• [11:04] Founder's syndrome can be a huge issue. It can be hard to delegate.
• [12:03] Erin stepped down as CEO of Room to Read last year and let the first non-founder CEO take over.
• [12:57] You need to compellingly explain the problem and tell your story and how it connects with the world. Make it personal and connect it to the global.
• [15:30] Organizational fit is very important.
• [17:37] Understand what is and isn't working using data.
• [20:07] Interacting through social platforms helps connect conversations.
• [24:51] Great leaders know when to step down, it's about the bigger cause.
• [26:20] For Erin, female mentors and role models were essential.
• [28:06] Success for Erin has been about seeing her place in a dynamic team and creating impact.
• [30:26] Collaboration is natural for people. Women sometimes need to take more credit for what they do.
• [34:30] In the social sector, you can share emotions and be authentic. People trust the leader more when they are authentic about their cause.
• [39:23] Tap into the positive such as focusing on education being about the future.
• [40:23] Erin and her team are creating an open source database that is mapping around girls education. It's amazing what technology can do when it comes to making connections.
• [41:35] Social media can be important in terms of telling your story, but you need to cut through the noise.
• [42:49] Take risks. You will never succeed if you don't try. Take the less traveled path. You can also join forces with an established organization collaboration is important.

Links and Resources:

• Room to Read Website
• Room to Read on Twitter
• Room to Read on Facebook
• Echidna Giving Fund Website
• Erin Ganju on LinkedIn
• Scaling Global Change
• Good to Great
• Being Nice Can Be Your Superpower with Fran Hauser

Dr. Jill Garripoli Pedalino is an award winning pediatrician who was named New Jersey Family’s Favorite Kids’ Doc for the years of 2011-2018 and one of New Jersey’s Compassionate Doctors from PatientsChoice.org in 2013. In this inspirational interview, we learn what inspired Dr. Jill to become a pediatrician and her unique outlook on patient and parent care.

She also shares what it’s like for a solo practitioner to open their own practice and take on all of the business responsibilities from billing and coding to being a team leader. Dr. Jill shares her unique outlook on being a team leader and how self care helps her manage day-to-day stress and decision fatigue. This is a wonderful look into the life of a thoughtful and caring entrepreneur.

Show Notes

• [02:33] Dr. Jill Garripoli Pedalino always wanted to help people. She liked kids but thought she would become a lawyer. She then decided that this may not be the best way to help people.
• [03:19] She spent a summer working at a hospital and saw a baby delivered. This is when she knew that she wanted to take care of that baby.
• [03:34] She then knew she wanted to become a pediatrician.
• [04:20] She was always a good student and she loved learning. The challenge was having a bit of insecurity and wondering if she can risk taking people's lives into her hands.
• [05:14] She was encouraged by friends to get through her insecurity and self-doubt.
• [06:05] Medical school was learn as you go. It was important to listen to her instincts and reach out when she needed help.
• [07:30] There's a lot of nuance to being a doctor that isn't taught in medical school.
• [08:14] Dr. Jill Garripoli Pedalino has been doing a lot of research into nutrition.
• [09:07] Dr. Jill Garripoli Pedalino keeps motivated by having the opportunity to change the lives of these children's parents. She walks the walk, so they can trust her more. She talks to parents from a place of truth.
• [11:24] We are now so in-tuned to our higher selves.
• [12:50] Dr. Jill's patients actually enjoy coming to see her. She is there for them and gives them a sense of respect.
• [13:43] She also tells her patients that she loves them so much.
• [14:13] As a solo practitioner, she is 100% invested in both sides. There are a lot of business aspects from billing and coding to team management.
• [15:43] She is always reading and studying about how to be a better leader. She tries to lead by example.
• [16:49] She looks for people who are go-getters and who are present and reliable when adding to the team.
• [17:11] She has a medical secretary and medical assistants. She tries to find people who want to be there, but she also understands that this is a job for them.
• [19:01] She delegates and leaves her staff to do it which gives them a sense of importance. She checks in but doesn't micromanage.
• [20:40] She tries to treat her office staff like friends and family.
• [22:46] What trust means to Dr. Jill Garripoli Pedalino. She believes people are inherently good. She trusts people until that trust gets broken.
• [25:12] Dr. Jill knows that she will have a good day, because she doesn't create any space for lack of trust or negativity.
• [27:04] Building relationships with patients parents can be a delicate thing. Dr. Jill is very gentle about building trust and includes everyone on the team.
• [28:17] Keeping the parents as part of a team from the beginning helps build trust.
• [30:02] We shouldn't listen to formulate our next response. Active listening is a skill.
• [30:37] The littlest things we say matter. Telling parents that they are doing great helps with their confidence.
• [31:35] Dr. Jill tries to be as present as possible and treat people the way she would like to be treated.
• [32:17] We are just on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to learning about nutrition. Dr. Jill is also concerned about how children watch everything that their parents do.
• [33:01] Her concern is that people aren't paying enough attention to diet, nutrition and how their energy is transferred to the kids.
• [35:21] Decision making can be draining. Dr. Jill meditates to keep herself in a good space to make those important decisions.
• [36:11] She also goes to the gym and gets good sleep.
• [37:34] Deirdre worked with Navy Seals and learned how important sleep is.
• [39:24] It's important to prioritize how you want your life to be.
• [40:03] If something makes you a little bit scared and a lot excited, then you should go for it.
• [41:18] Have faith in yourself, because if you don't try, you won't know what you can achieve.
• [43:11] Find a spouse or partner who lifts you up.

Links and Resources:

• Dr. Jill Garripoli Pedalino Pedalino
• Healthy Kids Pediatrics, NJ on LinkedIn
• Healthy Kids on Facebook
• The Untethered Soul

Today's show is about happiness. We are really going to focus on happiness in the workplace environment and the antidote to negativity and even bullying.

Kyla Mitsunaga is an entrepreneur, an author, a speaker, and a workshop trainer who has been busy developing a happiness workshop.  

She is also sharing her approach in 14 different countries across three different continents. She empowers  corporations, organizations, institutions, and individuals to succeed by first being happy. Kyla shares how she stumbled upon the topic of happiness and how it took off from there. Learn how one woman's journey has made more people happier by making each other happy.

Show Notes

• [03:18] Earlier in her career, Kyla was a professor. In 2014, she spoke in Austria. She realized that she had to be the change that she talks about and actually live it. This began her journey.
• [04:42] She was then asked to speak in Mexico on empowering students to give back to their communities. While she was researching the subject, the topic of happiness kept popping up.
• [05:39] She based the happiness workshop on a simple premise of if we can make other people happy then we can become happier.
• [06:01] After being featured on the evening news, Kyla decided to share her workshop with as many people as possible.
• [06:24] She brought her happiness workshop to the university that she taught at in Korea.
• [07:32] Her students are initially surprised when they have to make as many people around them as happy as possible.
• [09:27] It can be hard for people to step out of their comfort zones and be happy.
• [10:58] Everyone in every culture wants to be happy. Everyone also has their own internal roadblocks.
• [11:31] Happiness takes work just like anything else. It's a mindset.
• [12:12] Her book was inspired by her 2012 TED Talk.
• [14:27] With the prevalence of devices, people aren't paying attention anymore. Hiding behind a device is not the way forward.
• [16:01] Her book is deeply personal. It's part memoir and part self-help. It's her journey of getting to WITH.
• [16:49] Kyla sees everything with a WITH versus AT lens. Her book is written in a WITH style with activities and QR codes so you can watch videos.
• [19:04] Kyla wanted to create change and be an example for other women like her to look up to.
• [21:08] She had a huge epiphany that she had spent 40 years of her life with blurry vision. She discovered that the reason why she does what she does boils down to WITH.
• [22:48] For Kyla, WITH is an idea of oneness.
• [23:33] The more you understand yourself, the more you can be with other people. WITH has a lot to do with empathy.
• [25:57] Happiness to Kyla is total alignment with yourself.
• [29:03] Kyla is her work and her work is her. The more she understands herself and her personal growth, the more that she can share with others.
• [29:58] She is motivated, because she has been through depression. She also had a lot of guilt over her mother's illness. Emotions are ego-driven, and ego doesn't like change.
• [31:37] It's helpful for Kyla to have a talk with her ego.  
• [32:43] The deeper she goes with herself, the deeper her participants can go with themselves.
• [35:31] Journaling helps Kyla with the sustainability of her happiness practice. Women can be held to impossible standards.
• [37:27] Write down all the AT things you say to yourself. Then draw an arrow and have a WITH thing.
• [40:33] Change starts with yourself. Start with the power of WITH.

Links and Resources:

• Kyla Mitsunaga
• Kyla Mitsunaga: Why teachers must learn "with" their students
• WITH vs AT: Two Prepositions That Changed My Life
• @kylamitsunaga on Twitter
• Kyla Mitsunaga on LinkedIn
• Total Alignment

Dede Watson is a social media consultant and strategist who owns and operates Turn It Social a social media marketing company. She is a top social media influencer and a Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer. In this episode, I chat with Dede and learn how she went from selling furniture to social media consultant, strategist, and Forbes power influencer.

We talk about how filling a need and getting asked for help is one of the best ways to build and grow a business. We talk about the importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone, what makes a successful entrepreneur, and how to get started promoting a business with social media. Dede shares tips, tricks, and some of her favorite tools and apps for video. We talk about Facebook advertising, how social media is evolving, and more.

Show Notes

• [03:20] Dede started selling furniture in Daytona Beach. After about 10 years, she was burned out. She started looking online for different opportunities.
• [03:48] It took her about five years to actually develop her own business. She started building websites and realized she needed to understand how to promote them.
• [04:14] At the time, social media was new and she wanted to do some creative advertising.
• [04:27] She began promoting herself on MySpace and then moved to Twitter. People started asking her about her social media services around the same time that she realized she enjoyed social media.
• [05:08] She began her social media career on Twitter.
• [05:36] People coming to you and asking for help is one of the best ways to grow and build a business. Her business didn't happen overnight, it took about three years.
• [07:02] You need to have a plan and money saved when venturing out into entrepreneurship.
• [08:29] Normally Dede prefers to be behind the computer. She is stepping out of her comfort zone by promoting her own brand.
• [10:08] Being hypercritical can hold you back and make you miss your window of opportunity.
• [12:34] Entrepreneurs need structure and discipline.
• [15:00] In the past, Dede never thought she could accomplish what she has. She learned that she can be a successful business woman.
• [16:40] Dede is also enjoying consulting and mentoring people. She gets satisfaction from seeing the results of helping people.
• [18:32] As she changes her business model to consulting, scaling is her biggest challenge. Facebook is making it challenging for small and midsize businesses to market with advertising.
• [20:15] Making connections through Twitter is still a tried-and-true method. Instagram also has a large reach. You can do free advertising just by building communities.
• [23:14] Dede was intimidated by using computers. She still isn't extremely tech savvy. She delegates what she can't do.
• [25:47] Dede is a hands on learner who has to see and hear it.
• [27:17] She wakes up and starts posting from her phone.
• [27:47] She is trying to change course and not make her phone the first thing she does in the morning and the last thing she does in the evening.
• [29:52] Deirdre carves out time to be on social media, so she's not doing it all the time.
• [30:42] Every platform is different and automatic posting doesn't look natural.
• [31:43] You have to be strategic in your posting and micro-target on your business page or account. On Instagram, you can post up to 30 hashtags.
• [33:12] If you type in your tag on the explore page, you will see related tags. Curate your tags with ones that have been used between 5000 and 500,000 times.
• [35:13] Don't reuse all of the same hashtags, or you will be shadowbanned. Dede goes back later and edits her hashtags.
• [37:03] IGTV is a way to find new viewers. Exercise and motivational videos do well. Create a nice story behind your video.
• [40:07] It's all about building an engaged community on social media. Spend some time, be authentic, and show that you care.

Links and Resources:

• Dede Watson Website
  
• Dede Watson on Facebook
  
• Dede Watson on Twitter
  
• Dede Watson on Instagram
  
• Dede Watson on LinkedIn
• InShot
• Vidstich
• PicPlayPost
• StoryArt

Fran Hauser the author of The Myth of the Nice Girl is here today to talk about how being nice can be your superpower. Today's episode is about speaking up and being assertive and finding your voice while still being kind. Fran is an author, speaker, and a media executive. She is an entrepreneur investor and the founder of Hauser Ventures.  

She has held many senior positions at some of the world's largest digital media businesses including People, In Style, Entertainment Weekly, and AOL. She is now a startup investor who largely invests in female entrepreneurs. She was named one of Business Insiders 30 Women in Venture Capital to Watch.

Show Notes

• [03:14] About five years ago friend was working at Time Inc as an executive running digital for women's brands at the company.
• [03:41] She realized the part of her job that she liked the most was meeting with technology-based startups.
• [04:16] She realized that even if they didn't partner, she spent a lot of time advising the founders on their business models. She started advising them for equity.
• [04:53] Doing this full-time would give her flexibility to be with her family.
• [05:26] This is why she made the shift from media executive to investor/advisor.
• [06:19] It took her about a year to make the transition.
• [08:48] Fran mentor's a lot of women, and they kept asking how can you be nice and still get ahead. Fran decided to write her book on that topic.
• [10:28] You don't have to choose between being nice and being strong.
• [11:32] Bringing her niceness to work has enabled Fran to build relationships and teams.
• [12:54] Fran prepared to speak up at a meeting and it allowed her to become more comfortable.
• [15:30] Women aren't raising hands at open Q & A, but are coming up after the lecture. It's more important that your voice is heard.
• [16:43] If someone isn't speaking up find a way to draw them out.
• [17:36] Fran shares a story where she went over the head of one of her coworkers and felt terrible about it. She realized that this was an example of doing something that didn't sit right with her.
• [19:26] It's exhausting being someone who you aren't.
• [19:54] Be yourself and have your actions align with your values.
• [23:40] A section that resonated with readers was where she talks about how women apologize too much.
• [26:24] You can always ask someone to be your accountability buddy. Being vulnerable and asking for help goes a long way.
• [30:27] Fran had to share stories to be vulnerable and relatable.
• [31:29] Fran was inspired by Ann Moore and Paul Caine from Time Inc. They are perfect examples of people who lead with kindness and strength.
• [31:58] Ann would bring people to breakfast and have them share something that they were grateful for. Paul had meetings and told stories.
• [35:22] Fran loves owning her own business. She gets to choose the people and the projects that she works with. It also gives her flexibility.
• [36:57] She loves how a thought leadership platform is emerging from her book. Fran is also doing more speaking.
• [37:37] People who come to her are women looking for career advice, founders looking for business and fundraising advice, and people who want to write a book.
• [39:17] Fran keeps up-to-date by reading and meeting with people and being curious.
• [40:35] Bring your whole self to work. Don't feel like you have to check kindness and compassion at the door.

Links and Resources:

• Fran Hauser
• @fran_hauser on Twitter
• Fran Hauser on LinkedIn
• Fran Hauser on Instagram
• Fran Hauser on Facebook
• The Myth of the Nice Girl
• Chief
• Luminary

How do you build successful teams and positively impact the people around you? My guest today has a proven track record of team-building. Paige Goss is the CEO and founder of Point Solutions Group. Paige is an experienced industry executive with a proven track record in operational execution, large enterprise partnerships, and organizational development.

Throughout her 10+ year career in IT Services, she has been responsible for starting and building teams from scratch in multiple disciplines. Paige’s goal is to positively impact the lives of those around her every day and you can see this in every aspect of her work. Paige’s innovation, efficiency, and diligence recently earned her a spot on the Staffing Industry Analysts’ (SIA) 2018 40 Under 40 list.

Show Notes

• [03:11] Paige grew up in an entrepreneurial family, and she always wanted to be an entrepreneur.
• [03:58] She had a background in athletics and working with teams, so she knew that she would be able to create an impact working with teams.
• [04:28] Paige got into technology sales right after college. She joined a boutique firm and helped it grow from 8 people to 2500 consultants across the country.
• [05:17] In April of 2017, she launched Point Solutions Group.
• [05:55] It takes guts to be an entrepreneur. There's also the daily grind. You also have to set goals.
• [07:55] The sales aspect of your role is the grind everyday. Your best customer is the one that you are yet to meet. This constantly puts you in the mindset of building your business.
• [09:10] Paige is an optimistic realist. She sets aggressive goals and gives herself a plan of action to get there realistically.
• [09:51] She's a little more realistic with the finance side and tries to manage expectations.
• [11:10] If you're not growing, learning, and challenging yourself as an entrepreneur than your team isn't doing it either. Her biggest challenge is getting out of her own way.
• [12:59] Stepping out of your own way is also stepping out of your comfort zone so you can grow.
• [15:08] To build a successful team, you need to look for the gaps and then build from there. Paige also tries to focus on diversity.
• [15:35] We can teach skills, but a lot of times it's difficult to teach behaviors and mentalities..
• [17:23] The more women see other women lift each other up the better we will all be.
• [18:03] Culture is everything and people create culture.
• [22:30] Leaders set the vision of the organization. The vision can shift and change as the company grows. Paige's strengths are morphing the organization into what it is meant to be and helping customers with their challenges.
• [23:59] She has the gift of helping other people see what's possible. She's also a competitor and wants to win.
• [25:45] She challenges herself everyday. One of her weaknesses is thinking she has limitations when she doesn't or having unnecessary fears.
• [27:20] Communication is critical for a leader.
• [30:51] Paige exercises, writes, looks at what she is trying to accomplish, and sometimes drinks wine to combat stress.
• [32:53] Be present or take a step back and see where you are.
• [34:29] Let your team know what you are working on and focus on the human aspect. Don't be afraid to ask for help when needed.
• [36:04] Networking and building a personal brand is paramount for the new company to succeed. It's important to constantly be out there.
• [37:37] Paige does a ton of work on LinkedIn.
• [38:05] She loves to meet people face-to-face and in-person.
• [39:17] Learning for Paige is fine-tuning what she is good at.
• [40:13] Go for it and pursue your dreams. You never know what you are capable of until you put yourself in that situation.

Links and Resources:

• Point Solutions Group
• Paige Goss on LinkedIn
• Point Solutions Group on LinkedIn

How do you go from lawyer to actor to entrepreneur and podcaster? Find out with my next guest who is an expert in wanderlust. John Lim is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, author, and podcaster who I had the pleasure of connecting with on Twitter. John is a lifelong learner, and began his first career as an attorney at the age of 25.

While developing his presentation skills, he stumbled upon his interest in acting. Through a series of events he ended up being on National Geographic, the History Channel, and commercials. He also played Sulu on Star Trek the Next Voyage across from George Takei. John shares his journey and explains how he ended up becoming an entrepreneur and podcaster.

Show Notes

• [04:30] John's career wanderlust has been more of a reflection of his own journey.
• [06:05] When John was in law school, he took an acting class because he thought it would help his career.
• [06:51] He fell in love with acting.
• [07:27] He was an attorney at 25 years old. He chose the wrong firm, and he was unhappy.
• [08:58] Sometimes young attorneys go to law school for the wrong reasons.
• [09:20] John left his practice and shifted into educational consulting.
• [09:55] He developed his presentation skills and was advised by an acting coach that maybe he should try getting back into acting.
• [10:17] He took more acting classes.
• [11:08] Being on camera really stretched John past his comfort zone. His acting teacher also encouraged him to take up acting.
• [11:21] He started auditioning and actually got some rolls. He acted for National Geographic, the History Channel, and did some commercials.
• [12:12] He discovered independent films called fan films.
• [12:54] He was blown away by Star Trek New Voyage.
• [13:44] John auditioned for the role of Sulu and even played across from George Takei.
• [15:24] While still trying to act he had a life-changing event. His mother had a heart attack. He was crushed when he lost his mother in 2008.
• [17:03] He started consulting again.
• [17:58] He decided to go back to school and get his MBA.
• [18:24] He met some great professors who were entrepreneurs.
• [18:52] John decided to take the leap and become an entrepreneur. Launching his podcast has been part of the journey.
• [20:24] John is a lifelong learner and being an entrepreneur fits perfectly with that lifestyle.
• [21:14] John and Deirdre connected on Twitter.
• [24:47] John stumbled upon podcasts accidentally and started listening to Robert Kiyosaki's radio show.
• [25:14] He became immersed in podcasts and realized that he might want to try it.
• [27:09] The podcast helped him develop relationships and find connections on social media.
• [29:14] John has been working on a project helping his dad take his business online.
• [30:38] Because of his podcast, John was invited to give his first TEDx Talk.
• [31:28] He is working on his first book and starting a second podcast.
• [32:34] John has been able to grow and try new things because of failures and setbacks.
• [32:53] For John, success is about family and health.
• [34:20] He considers business success being on your own and being able to pay the bills.
• [35:20] When you become an entrepreneur sometimes your outlook changes. Even relationships sometimes require an audit.
• [36:38] Trying something different can be a lens to see who in your life really support you.
• [37:47] As an entrepreneur, John has failures every week.
• [39:28] Making your own decisions can be stressful. You need a tolerance for ambiguity and a tolerance to know that everything you try may not work out.
• [40:17] John's biggest failure last year was probably saying yes to too many things which detracted from his real priorities.
• [41:32] It's also important to know your worth and guard your time when necessary.
• [43:07] Consume as much content as you can. Start creating content. Put yourself out there, because the content you create will become part of your branding.

Links and Resources:

• Moving Foreword
• @bemovingforward on Twitter
• John Lim on LinkedIn
• Rich Dad Poor Dad

When people are at a crossroads in their life and are looking for healing they will often seek out the help of a shaman. Shamans are all about connecting to the Earth and energy healing. My guest today is Julie Hannon. Julie began her career in HR, but always felt called to the Earth. After leaving her high-stress job, she went back to her roots and rediscovered shamanism.

Julie is the founder of Inner Peace & Wellness where she facilitates joy and wellness in the lives of those she works with. Julie also has a master’s degree in psychology, over 20 years experience as a human resources director, she is HeartMath certified, she has 20 years of yoga experience and has completed yoga teacher training, and she is also a teacher at the Light Body School for energy medicine & shamanism. She is here today to share her journey and story with us.

Show Notes

• [02:43] Julie worked in HR at a biotech company and helped the company grow from 140 employees to 2,500 employees until they restructured down to 1200.
• [03:02] She loved her work, but didn't love not being able to see her two young children more often.
• [03:19] Julie decided to take a leap of faith and take some time off. During this time someone gave her a book about shamanism.
• [03:27] Reading the book changed everything for her. She had studied some Shamanism in the past. Her call to be connected to the Earth was a lifelong calling.
• [05:51] A shaman dances with their feet in both worlds. The world of energy and the world of matter.
• [06:35] A shaman is someone who can shift their state of consciousness at will for the purpose of healing and accessing information.
• [07:21] In quantum physics we are mostly energy and .00001 percent matter. We spend all of our time thinking that matter is what matters.
• [07:48] The shaman works with the other percent and helps us pay attention to the energy and change our frequency so that we can have joy.
• [09:09] We should upgrade our energy body as often or more often than we upgrade the operating system on our phones.
• [09:58] Ways to upgrade your energy include meditating and being in nature. Along with, yoga and being still.
• [10:44] We can update our frequency by connecting to the Earth. You can do grounding exercises by taking your shoes off and standing outside on the grass.
• [11:31] People who've tried other things and our looking for their purpose and happiness try Shamanism.
• [12:05] It's about the body, mind, and soul. The third place of perception is the soul level. Outside of that is the energetic.
• [13:27] Her focus is really about helping people rediscover their own connection to the Earth and living their best life and giving them the tools to do that.
• [14:46] How do you clear your energetics in in order to see new possibilities? Anything is possible.
• [15:27] Imagination is the largest nation on Earth and when you join into that place anything is possible.
• [16:16] Julie never imagined traveling the world and teaching Shamanism, but it changed her world.
• [17:16] If we release our suffering, we have joy. If we let go of our attachments, we have possibility.
• [18:09] Things that would prevent people from Shamanism could be their logical mind.
• [18:42] The left brain is about logic, and the right brain is about possibilities.
• [20:11] Being in nature you can grow the connections between your left and your right brain.
• [23:33] One of Julie's biggest challenges is she doesn't like to sit in front of the computer.
• [23:59] Julie is an extrovert, and she finds entrepreneurship somewhat lonely.
• [24:27] It's really important for her to participate with groups that brainstorm and finding community.
• [26:23] Failure is an opportunity for learning.
• [27:26] Success is a place of having people show up to classes. It's getting up and making moves forward.
• [29:19] It is possible to tap into that energy. Have you ever had a few moments when everything was connected? The idea is to clear the pathway, so we have these more often.
• [31:05] Julie had a lot of exposure teaching. Now she is partnering with other people and having local ceremonies in the Boston area.
• [32:26] She is growing a business brand and uses social media for this.
• [33:40] Social media is about making connections and finding people. The best relationships are in the physical world with people in person.
• [37:21] Julie uses music online and InsightTimer which is a meditation app.
• [38:18] It has access to a lot of amazing teachers and free meditations.
• [40:06] Julie feels news can deplete your energy.
• [41:42] Breathe in and out of your heart. Take a breath and really find what's in the way of breathing out of your heart.
• [42:32] Be present with your breath.

Links and Resources:

• Inner Peace & Wellness
• Julie Hannon on LinkedIn
• Julie Hannon on Facebook
• My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey
• InsightTimer