Episode 31: Glynis Rigsby
Glynis Rigsby has a revolutionary perspective on success. She says, “You have to expect that failure is part of your process. And if you don’t expect that, you’re probably not in a very healthy or generative process.” For Glynis, successful work in any field and craft a compelling vision, come as the result of iterative drafting processes that refine you and your ideas through time and practice. She reminds us that you can’t have a vision for yourself, without a coherency of thought that is often born out of the 99 failures that will bring about the one success.
Episode 30: McCord Henry
McCord’s unvarnished story is one of a young man filled with much promise looking for his place in the world as he comes to grips with his sexuality and wrestles with the demons of alcoholism. His story is also one of hope. Where a person once passed out drunk on the floor of his job, can now hold his head high with a fierce humility and say, “I am recovered. I am living.”
Episode 29: Bill Thompson
Bill Thompson, Executive Director Young Storytellers, shines a light on the forgotten children who have been oppressed by poverty, lack of economic opportunity, and racial and social discrimination. His broad empathy is informed by his own experience of being an outsider growing up. He weaves the story of his life into his mission today, which is helping kids find their power by claiming their own narratives through storytelling.
Episode 28: Cynthia Besteman
With her work today, as the Founder and CEO of Violets Are Blue, Cynthia herself has become a flashlight for thousands of women battling for their lives. She eloquently and passionately calls for more education, more technology, more treatments and a cure so that Stage 4 women can stay alive for more than five to 10 years. As she reminds us with almost startling candor, “There is no Stage 5. Stage 4 is it.” The time for action is now.
Episode 27: Ryland Engelhart
We speak to Ryland during a time in his life when he is the process of rebuilding, reflection and reexamination. This is his season of life where there is no production, but silence, stillness and tarrying as springtime glimmers on the horizon. It’s a lesson for us all, really. As he describes it, there is a “divine timing for the inhale and the exhale.” And as with each breath, there is always a pause.
Episode 26: Joshua Baker
Josh’s journey reminds us of what happens when you stop running and start facing the pain of your life. When you find the capacity within your heart to forgive yourself and those who have caused you great disappointments. In a time when religion and commitment to following any religious doctrine can be used as a tool to divide us, Josh uses his pulpit to call upon us, the Church and the world to start a love revival. To love all people. To love all people abundantly.
Episode 25: Shel Pink
Speed, or rather its antithesis, has been the subject of Shel Pink’s work for much of her career within the world of beauty. In an industry that she describes as being consumed with quick creation and rapid consumption, Shel is carving out the space between, the boundaries, for self-reflection and thought to occur. She gives to herself and us the permission to slow down.
Episode 24: Will Frears
The creative team of the Mercury Store have thoughtfully engineered a space that allows the asking of the most difficult questions with the most love for those who are brave enough to try to rethink what the creative process looks like for live performance art. At the center of it all the founder Will Frears, searching for the answer to the central question that he posits in our conversation, “What would it be like if you just stood in the middle of your process for a minute and thought about ‘Well what do I need?’”
Episode 23: Shannon Flynn
Shannon Flynn joined the Hannah Montana cast and crew from the beginning. First as an assistant, then as an acting coach and finally as a director of the show. Shannon openly talks about how she battled imposter syndrome and had to learn to fight for her own ideas as a director.
Episode 22: Delia McLinden
Delia McLinden and her family own Farmhouse Fresh, one of the most successful product brands in the global spa industry. Built into the mission of the company is their living, breathing passion for farm animal rescue.
Episode 21: Lisa Channer
The necessity and relevance of art is a conversation needed today given that we live in tumultuous times, not unlike the 1960s. And if we are going to have this conversation, Lisa Channer is a voice that must be heard. She is a director, producer, dancer, performer, educator, wife and mother.
Episode 20: Nora Zelevansky
Mary Poppins dispensed medicine with a spoonful of sugar (and a really fun sing-along with the kids “in the most delightful way”) to make it easy for her young wards to swallow. That’s what it feels like when you read a book by Nora Zelevansky. Tough wisdoms and truths wrapped up in smart language, articulate characters and magical, invisible jets that can take you from Paris to New York in a matter of minutes (see Semi-Charmed Life).
Episode 19: Cassandra Worthy
Enter Cassandra Worthy. She is a global keynote speaker, author and consultant who is the CEO and optimistic mind behind Change Enthusiasm. Her three-step method of “Signal. Opportunity. Choice.” provides a blueprint for organizations in transition as they help their employees accept inevitable changes by embracing what she calls the growth mindset. What distinguishes Cassandra’s approach is that a significant part of her pedagogy is based upon the acknowledgement and leveraging of the employees’ emotions in this change process.
Episode 18: Joshua Banbury
Joshua Banbury’s work and personal narrative are a tapestry of rich textures influenced by the wide range of music (Jazz, Folk Music, Classical, Carnatic Music and Art Songs) that he has been a student of and performed at the highest levels. He is also artistically and intellectually inspired by Surrealist artists like Leonora Carrington, his Texas roots, and the folk songs of Appalachia.
Episode 17: Dr. Bryan K. Williams
Dr. Bryan Williams is a determined executive coach, author, husband and father. But most of all he is a man of faith. And he has used that faith to propel him through the unimaginable journey of his life and career. He reminds us that faith is the essential ingredient required to let go of what we are holding onto in order to grasp the unforeseen and unknown gifts of greatness that lie before us. As he himself says, his life story is predicated on “an interesting mix of anxiety mixed with supreme confidence and supreme faith.” Thank you for sharing this lesson, Bryan. We are better for it.
Episode 16: Tembi Locke
I have known Tembi Locke (writer and producer of the Netflix Limited Series From Scratch) for most of my life. Thirty-seven and a half years to be precise. But more than knowing her, she has been a friend, and taught me a valuable lesson: Find a way no matter what. It’s that attitude, that tenacious spirit in her that comes from her ancestors that has helped her pave an unconventional path to her life, her career and to love. Her successes are many in the unrelenting world of Hollywood, but what Tembi wants to talk about, as she puts it, is a question she learned from her parents, “How do I do what I need to do? How do I serve my community AND preserve the essence of who I am as a person?” Thank you Tembi, for engaging in the conversation.
Episode 15: Claudia Zelevansky
In her very thoughtful way, Claudia Zelevansky speaks a powerful truth about living today. We are at a time in human history when we must question the very relevance of long-standing conventions, beliefs and norms. And if we find them lacking, we must be brave enough to change them. As she keenly states, we have to put the context first and not the result.
Episode 14: Hugh Huffaker
My conversation with Hugh was a reminder about what life and careers can look like when we are genuinely who we are and when we approach our time on the planet without the label making machine and just explore the many facets of our lives. Underneath Hugh’s laid-back persona is a quiet and inquisitive strength that we can all learn from. Hugh, thank you for your time and your heart centered wisdom.
Episode 13: Jane Cho
Jane Cho is a powerhouse. In this riveting and unafraid conversation, she calls us all to the task of stepping into the unknown spaces, the complex spaces and claiming who we are. She reminds us that the barometer for success is tied to how emotionally, spiritually, attuned and aligned we are. Thank you, Jane!
Episode 12: Toby Poser
In my conversation with Toby Poser - actress, producer, writer, director - the themes of family, the importance of finding your own creative voice and celebrating all of the things that unite us as human beings shine through. She reminds us of the importance of storytelling, not just for entertainment, but for survival. And she extols the virtues of having fun in your life and your work. She leaves us with this simple yet meaningful prayer or challenge – she says to us “You can find creativity in everything” even in the rising and setting of the sun. What beautiful gifts Toby gives us.