It's All About The Questions

Working with staff is not easy. Add into that the long time relationship of a closely knit family who knows how to push each other's buttons and it could end up being a disaster. Or not. Can a father and daughter work together and perform as a team without drama? When the team is Neal and Tara Johnson the answer is yes. During this episode Neal and Tara share honest and thoughtful answers on why they started working together, how they handle conflict, how Neal has learned how to push Tara out of her comfort zone and why Tara embraces it now. We also discuss how they handle being in the mortgage business during an unprecedented market and how they both balance work and play. Neal Johnson has over 40 years of Financial Services Experience and 20 years specializing in Mortgage Lending. He has the expertise to work with clients to find the right mortgage to fit their individual needs. Neal has lived in his community for over 50 years. During his professional career, he has served in many Leadership roles includin

When it's your birthday you get to talk about whatever lights you up and gets you excited and for me that is talking all things Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC and Harry Potter with a few friends. Take a listen as we debate characters, shows, directors and the shifting timelines of our favorite shows and movies. I am joined by Brits James Adam and Mark Asquith and fellow U.S. woman in tech Janet Schijns as we share what got us into being a Sci-Fi, fantasy, superhero fan, our favorite characters and what we really think about those alternative time lines!

Jennifer Pestikas has lived her life choosing courage and overcoming self doubt to build an amazing career leading others/ Along the way she realized that becoming friends with yourself is one of the best things you can do. On this episode we talk about self-compassion, how Jennifer is making new boxes to reframe her life and how you can too. She also shares several powerful questions you can ask to thrive no matter your situation. Jen Pestikas has always been a type-A super achiever. She was the one who got straight A’s in school and was devastated when she got a B. Jen was the one who held herself to such high standards and needed to check all of the boxes in life. After she grew up, that super achieving nature followed her to her career in the corporate world. After 20 years in corporate, climbing the ladder in financial services from a bank teller to a Senior Vice President and doing “all the right things”, Jen’s health took a turn for the worse in 2019 and she ended in total burnout. After years of striv

Kim Meninger is on a mission. A mission to stop imposter syndrome from stopping women from achieving their dreams. Having lived it herself she knows the constant battle of your own mind to tell you you can't possibly be good enough to do something. Her mission is so important to her she even created a podcast called, The Imposter Syndrome Files, and has a free 7 day challenge to greater confidence. On this episode Kim shares how she learned to not let a fear response be her lead into, or not into, an opportunity, how re-defining your value can help release imposter syndrome and a few more questions she asks herself to keep her mind free of imposter syndrome. As a women’s leadership coach, Kim Meninger is passionate about empowering women to become more confident, visible and influential leaders. Having spent over 10 years in the high-tech industry, she experienced first-hand the unique challenges and opportunities facing women in traditionally male-dominated environments. She strives to be the resource to wom

When all your competitors are merging or being bought outright, what do you do? Do you stay independent or do you look to do the same as them? When they all lock into one business focus, do you do the same or do you carve your own path? Jason Bystrak and Peter DiMarco, Vice Presidents at D&H Distributing (104 year old family owned company), join me on this episode to talk about how to know what you should do for your business. They know firsthand the questions you need to ask yourself and whether you should care what your competitors are doing. The conversation also goes into how a $5 billion company operates with 36% employee ownership versus a $50 billion company. I especially loved the conversation about egos, complicating things and the bottoms-up versus top-down method of deciding your businesses next steps. If you have employees, or are thinking about adding staff for the first time, Peter's insights into hiring practices will open your eyes. Jason Bystrak is the vice president of the cloud and serv

There were some audio issues for two minutes. I apologize. My mom always told me don't borrow worry from tomorrow. I've not been really great about letting go worry. Do I obsessively worry? No. But many do. Any many others get into worry cycles. Rene Brent has written a powerful Book, Breaking Your Worry Agreement. On this episode Rene shares strategies and tactics she has developed over the course of her career to help her clients break their personal worry agreements and live a life filled with increased joy and connection to those around you. We also answer questions around, Is worry ever helpful? Can you worry too little? and what happens in your body when you worry about worrying. Rene has been a RN for 30 years and has worked in ICU, Trauma/ER and the Recovery Room. In her experience, she was inspired by the powerful mind/body connection and how self-awareness and reframing negative thoughts helps us heal emotionally and physically. It was a natural transition for Rene Brent to go from being a healer of

How dealing with world leaders caused Denise Thomas to develop BEE Mindfulness methods to change lives and reduce stress. If you thinking putting deals together for just your business can be stressful imagine traveling all over the world to put together trade agreements with world and religious leaders, politicians at all levels and more. And then picture doing all that while living in your home with several generations of family. Take a listen as Denise shares the questions she asks herself, how she strives to live her life in its natural rhythm and silence is a gift we give ourselves. For more than two decades Denise Thomas has proven a dynamic auditor and extraordinarily compassionate leader.  She lives and works from heart center that allows her to maneuver with easy through global diplomatic waters.  She has engaged ambassadors, heads of state, top religious leaders, senators, business executives and other key leaders both globally and domestically to achieve strategic objectives, guide community leaders

Want to create a new product? Wonder if you need to know the rules first? Do you need to or can you just carve your own path and create your own market? Dan Keldsen is the Co-Founder of PlexiCam, a new way to use your webcam and Co-Founder of Veventaas.com, a virtual events as a service company. On this epsiode we talk about his thoughts on creating a product without knowing all the rules, why customer service is the key to expanding your reach and what he thinks about rules. Dan Keldsen is currently Co-founder of two startups, PlexiCam.com, the 21st Century Tripod and Teleprompter alternative and Veventaas.com, the virtual-events-as-a-service company. If your organization wants the high-touch, high customer-experience that you would normally get from an upscale, hotel-based day or more event, and are tired of the endless parade of walls of bored participants from webinars and traditional virtual event solutions, Veventaas lets you focus on YOUR business, and takes away the pain of the details behind-the-scen

Marketing does not have to be complicated or complex. It does need to stir the emotions and open the wallets of your prospective clients though. It also doesn't have to be all things to everyone. Picking your ideal client and platform are just two aspects of a marketing strategy. James Adam of Thirty-Three Percent wants business owners to find their voice, and have a bit of fun, while growing their business with marketing. He also wants us all to make sure we understand our Why. He recently realized his had changed and pivoted his business. We also talk about Superman, Zach Snyder, Legos and how all of that can help you figure out your why and your strategy.  Since getting his start in retail over 20 years ago, James has been helping businesses of all shapes and sizes with their marketing campaigns, including brands like The North Face, Hasbro and JCB. In 2009 James started Cunning Plan, a full-service marketing agency with a focus on destinations, hospitality, leisure and retail. In 2020, James took the deci

Stroke. The word evokes fear to mostly everyone who hears the word. For those who have lived it themselves, or have taken care of those who have had a stroke it means a change to potentially everything you knew as normal. My guest is Marcia Moran, a stroke survivor who has made it her mission to advocate for those who have had a stroke and help those who care for them. On this episode we discuss her journey from stroke patient to advocate. She shares her story of how her life changed in an instant and the critical things you need to know in case it happens to you or a loved one. Marcia Moran has written over fifty business plans, and helped entrepreneurs strategize over how to differentiate their companies in changing environments. Her experience led her to found her own firm, Performance Architect in 2012.  She also co-founded Positive Business DC, an organization designed to increase well-being in the workforce in 2012. After suffering a major stroke in 2014, Marcia applied her skills in planning and strate

Is there always an emotional component to pain and physical injury? Is it possible to heal and strengthen your body by adding an extra layer to your physical conditioning? My guest is Tammy Wise. A Broadway dancer turned TAO minister and the creator of the time tested BodyLogos system of alignment and strength training that has made a difference for many who thought they would never be able to get strong and healthy again. During this episode Tammy shares her own journey to health and healing and even shared a quick exercise you can do everyday to begin improving your posture. I've done it a few times now and it works quickly! All with 3 breaths. We also talk about how emotional trauma can get trapped in the body and prevent full healing, how just a few minutes a day can correct posture from being at a computer and her own journey from abuse to strength helped her develop BodyLogos. Tammy Wise is a widely respected mind-body fitness expert, owner of BodyLogos, Inc., author of The Art of Strength: Sculpt the B

Digital wellbeing has taken on an all new meaning in the past year. With covid shifting business, school and social gatherings to virtual settings more time has been spent in front of a screen than ever before. Streaming platforms saw unprecedented increases in subscriptions and depression and dissatisfaction rose astronomically. My guest, Heidi Forbes Oste has been talking about digital wellbeing and how to excel while being a human on this planet and global nomad for a long time. As a behavioral scientist, geek, global traveler and parent, she has lived what we discuss on this episode and guided numerous corporations and individuals to finding the balance between the digital world and the real one. Technology has become a lifeline for many and a curse for others as technology use takes a toll on their emotional and physical beings. Join us as we discuss all that and more. Dr. Heidi Forbes Öste is a behavioral scientist, best-selling author of Digital Self Mastery series and executive producer of the Evolvi

When you get to ask one of the people on the forefront of podcasting, someone who lives on the edge of defining how we interact with each other via media, a few questions it is best to make sure you record the conversation. Why? Because perspective shifting answers and questions abound. Take a listen as I interview Mark Asquith, aka The British Podcast Guy, as we discuss his journey to define his role in the world, his thoughts on the future of podcasting and why he really does not care about missing out. His answer made me rethink several different areas of my life. And it wouldn't be a conversation with Mark unless some superhero conversation surfaced. I mean the man calls his company Rebel Base Media! I may just have to have him back on the show to just discuss Star Wars, the DC universe and Star Trek. I can easily get lost in that conversation. After quitting his job at age 23 so that he didn't have to work for people with whom he didn't want to share a water cooler any longer, Mark Asquith decided to try

National Voiceover Artist, Acclaimed Podcast Host and all around funny guy, Rob Actis, talks action, motivation, and finding success his way. Interviewing Rob is like sitting down with a perpetual motion machine. Rob is always on the move yet he always maintains focus on his goals. After nearly losing his life he realized he had been living life without being aware of all of his life. Try to keep up with his energy on the show as we talk about his book, The Law of Action, how he manages to keep his head up and focused and why Clubhouse is his new favorite place to be. Rob “Mr. Action” Actis is the best selling author of The Law of Action and the creator of the Law of Action Formula. He helps his successful entrepreneur clients get unstuck, break through their fears, and live a life of massive inspired action. He is a serial Entrepreneur and loves all things marketing and business and runs a small boutique creative agency creating high-end graphics for his clients. One of his many talents is that of a voice ac

Pat Alva-Kraker has dedicated her life to helping other's learn the power of intention to transform their lives. She has written a beautiful book, Katherine's Quest: One Woman's Journey to Elation, to show how intention, in all we do, can make the journey through life one of, well elation. Take a listen as Pat shares her journey and how you can begin adding intention into all aspects of your life. I had several big ahas when Pat shared a few questions she suggests we all ask ourselves and those we care about. The powerful one for me? Well, you'll just have to take a listen and let me know which you think it is and what your answer is to the question. Pat Alva-Kraker was known as an international IT project manager, and a community leader. A successful Latina woman working in two male‐dominated industries, IT and engineering. In order to be accepted, each morning Pat put on her two‐piece skirt suit with pumps; making decisions from her analytical side and forfeiting her strong sense of intuition. After a 35‐ye

To some, selling your business is a sellout and that you should build a business for legacy and pass it on to your family. To others, before you even open the doors of your business you should have a plan for how you're going to sell the business and every day in business be growing it to sell it. I don't think it matters what other people think you should do with your business. I think what matters is what you want to do with your business. And that may change overtime as well. Whether you plan on selling your business or not, understanding the principles of what somebody is looking for if they want to buy it can help your business achieve greater success. Even if you never sell. My guest today is John Warrillow, founder of Built to Sell and The Value Builder System, a successful entrepreneur himself and the author of numerous podcasts and books on building and selling businesses. John and I talk about his latest book The Art of Selling Your Business: Winning Strategies and Secret Hacks for Exiting on Top. H

Does the definition of success change based on the industry you're in or your gender? There are stories that go around that say that women don't support women yet from all the interviews I've done, and my experiences in the tech and business worlds, I've found that that is not the truth. I found that more women support women then we are led to believe. My guest today lives and breathes her philosophy that success is not about external trappings and that if we learn to get clear to determine what it is we truly want and align our internal and external lives with that, then happiness and success can be achieved. Nicole Scheffler is a woman in tech, although like many of us women in tech, she just prefers to say she's in tech and forget adding the woman part. Nicole has spent much of her career helping others succeed as she succeeded. On today's episode Nicole and I talk about success, lifting other people up, and the questions she asks herself to align herself with her own definition of success.   Nicole Scheff

What does it take to be an entrepreneur? Do you need an MBA? Or rather do you need the expertise that somebody who has not only gotten an MBA but has also run multiple successful businesses and helped other entrepreneurs launch grow and sell their businesses can share? Wouldn't it be great to have in one place, the foundational pieces to every successful business? This episode features Harry Brelsford who not only has an MBA and a few other degrees but has done all of the above. On this episode Harry and I talk about what makes a successful entrepreneur, the perils pitfalls and excitement and what he is learned from guiding himself and others in nearly three decades plus of his own entrepreneurial journey and what guided him to write his latest book, Pocket MBA Instant Entrepreneur. Harry Brelsford is the founder of SMB Nation (www.smbnation.com) from Bainbridge Island, Wash. He is a long-time SMB channel partner who has served customers and mentored other partners (SMB Nation has over 45,000 members who are

Widow. The word conjures up so much loss and sadness. You are given that title when you lose someone you loved very much and planned a life with forever. A life you certainly never expected to change dramatically when your husband gets diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and dies eight months later. How do you recover from that with any sort of grace when you have two kids to take care of and a life to rebuild that looks different than you expected it to? Jenny Lisk created the Widowed Parent Podcast and wrote the book, Future Widow: Losing My Husband, Saving My Family and Finding My Voice because she saw a need to help others through what she went through. She wants to educate people BEFORE they have to go through losing a loved one while providing a resource for those who are in it now. Take a listen as we discuss the questions Jenny didn't even know to ask, the answers she found during and after her husband passed and how being vulnerable helped her heal and help others. Jenny Lisk is an author, speak

Anne Bruce joins me today to talk about how anyone can discover their own personal True North to help you have your best life possible. She shares how it is never to late to live your calling, how courage is more than you think it is and you have more of it then you think, and how competencies don't always lead to your vocational calling. She shares her 1 question she asks herself to keep her eye on her true north. The conversation on this episode is a great way to lead into your new year, or anytime actually. If you are thinking to yourself, "I need to figure out what I want for me", or "I wish I knew what I am meant to be doing", then take a listen as Anne shares that and more. Anne Bruce is an popular speaker and author coach. She's also a talent manager who works with celebrities, politicians, TV and sports stars. She's spoken for the White House and the Pentagon, Coca Cola, Sprint, and Fortune 100 companies worldwide. Anne's written 25 books translated into 36 languages for the largest publishers in the